Table 1.
Participant characteristics at baseline
| Characteristic | Spironolactone (n=201) | Placebo (n=209) | Total (n=410) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years (mean, SD) | 29.6 (7.4) | 28.7 (7.0) | 29.2 (7.2) |
| Ethnic group*: | |||
| White | 158 (84) | 170 (85) | 328 (84) |
| Asian | 5 (3) | 4 (2) | 9 (2) |
| Black | 4 (2) | 2 (1) | 6 (2) |
| Mixed | 6 (3) | 3 (2) | 9 (2) |
| Other | 1 (1) | 3 (2) | 4 (1) |
| Prefer not to answer | 14 (8) | 19 (10) | 33 (9) |
| Missing data | 13 (7) | 8 (4) | 21 (5) |
| Body mass index (mean, SD) | 25.7 (5.3) | 26.5 (5.9) | 26.1 (5.6) |
| Where the participant heard about the trial: | |||
| Community advertising | 12 (6) | 15 (7) | 27 (7) |
| General Practitioner | 35 (17) | 29 (14) | 64 (16) |
| Online search | 6 (3) | 10 (5) | 16 (4) |
| Secondary care | 38 (19) | 43 (21) | 81 (20) |
| Social media advertising | 98 (49) | 97 (46) | 195 (48) |
| Word of mouth | 12 (6) | 15 (7) | 27 (7) |
| Polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis or suspected*†: | 30 (15) | 47 (23) | 77 (19) |
| Missing data | 6 (3) | 7 (3) | 13 (3) |
| IGA 3 or more | 109 (54) | 111 (53) | 220 (54) |
| Length of current episode of acne: | |||
| <6 months | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| 6 months to 2 years | 48 (24) | 56 (27) | 104 (25) |
| 2-5 years | 44 (22) | 49 (23) | 93 (23) |
| >5 years | 109 (54) | 104 (50) | 213 (52) |
| Not answered | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Age acne started, years (mean, SD) | 16.1 (5.4) | 16.7 (5.8) | 16.4 (5.6) |
| Acne-QoL symptom subscale score (mean, SD) | 13.2 (4.9) | 12.9 (4.5) | 13.0 (4.7) |
| Participant’s global assessment of current acne: | |||
| Clear | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Almost clear | 3 (1) | 1 (0.5) | 4 (1) |
| Mild severity | 37 (18) | 49 (23) | 86 (21) |
| Moderate severity | 115 (57) | 101 (48) | 216 (53) |
| Severe | 44 (22) | 58 (28) | 102 (25) |
| Not answered | 2 (1) | 0 (0) | 2 (1) |
| Clinician reported (IGA scale) severity of current acne: | |||
| Clear | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Almost clear | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Mild severity | 92 (46) | 98 (47) | 190 (46) |
| Moderate severity | 84 (42) | 82 (39) | 166 (40) |
| Severe | 25 (12) | 29 (14) | 54 (13) |
Data are number (percentage), unless otherwise mentioned. IGA=investigator’s global assessment; SD=standard deviation; QoL=quality of life.
*
These statistics or percentages are calculated using the number of participants with non-missing information available.
†
19 (63%) of 30 participants in the spironolactone group and 22 (47%) of 47 in the placebo group did not report having a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome but were classified as having suspected polycystic ovary syndrome according to the Rotterdam criteria.