Does Accutane Increase Risk of Blood Clots?

Seattle, WAAmong the complications linked to anti-acne medication Accutane is increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and birth defects. Lawsuits have been filed against Accutane, now off the market, alleging that patients who took the medication were not warned of the risk of IBD.

A recent study funded by the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC) has found an increased risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. According to the study, that risk is 16 times higher in a nonhospitalized person with IBD than in the nonhospitalized general public.

A venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a clot in the vein, often in the legs. Some patients experience pain or swelling in the affected area. In some situations, parts of the clot break off and circulate to the lungs (known as a pulmonary embolus). Patients with a pulmonary embolus, which can be life-threatening, may require emergency treatment to dissolve the clot.

According to the NACC, patients with IBD are at an increased risk of VTE when they are in the hospital with active disease. "For this reason, all patients with IBD admitted to hospital should routinely be given preventive treatment with injections of the anticoagulant drug heparin, often with compression/support stockings to improve circulation through the leg veins," advised the NACC in a news release.

The new study, published February 2010 in the journal Lancet, showed that patients with active IBD who are not in the hospital are also at an increased risk of VTE.

It is important to note that the use of Accutane has been linked to an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease, not venous thromboembolism. Inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to an increased risk of venous thromboembolism.

It is also important to note that the study made use of data from 1987 through 2001, when different medications were used to treat IBD. Patients currently with IBD may have a lower risk of VTE simply because newer medications may curb the extensive flare-ups of IBD that would have occurred 10 years earlier.

That said, Accutane was available on the market in the 1980s, meaning that patients on Accutane from 1987 through 2001 may have increased their exposure to agents that cause VTE without realizing it.