Correlation Between Acne Vulgaris and Lipid Profile Among Young Adults in Sohag Governorate

Correlation Between Acne Vulgaris and Lipid Profile Among Young Adults in Sohag Governorate

Acne vulgaris is the most common skin condition affecting late adolescents worldwide.1 The prevalence of acne is said to be 85% in adults aged 12 to 25 years.2 Almost all teenagers between 15 and 17 years report having some degree of acne.3 Estimates of the lifetime occurrence of acne in the literature range from 0.1%4 to as high as 85.1%5 in the general population, depending on the age range, region, and method of sampling. Overall, acne is more common in women,8,9 but in some literature the prevalence is approximately equal in men and women.10,11

Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, resulting from sebum overproduction, follicular hyperkeratinization, inflammation, and bacterial colonization of hair follicles by Propionibacterium acnes. The sebaceous gland is controlled primarily by hormonal stimulation. In this way, the hormonal effect on sebum secretion is a key to the pathogenesis of acne.12-16 During puberty, alteration of the sebum component, called dysseborrhea, stress, irritation, cosmetics, and potential dietary factors lead to the formation of acne lesions.16 Changes in sebum secretion are considered to be an important factor of acne. In this way, increased sebum secretion can induce acne occurrence.17 Increasing evidence, in essence, indicates that changes in lipid profile are strongly related to acne occurrence. Accordingly, further information and awareness campaigns are needed to emphasize the role of balanced lipid metabolism to control acne. Although a correlation between the incidence of acne and lipid profile levels has been observed before, it must be documented in each population with etiological characteristics. Minimal reports are available on the relationship between plasma lipids and acne in our country. Hence, we aim to establish this study to estimate the presence of lipid alteration in acne patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers, not taking any medicine, and having no personal or family history of acne.

Exclusion Criteria:

• : reluctance to take part in the study, pregnancy or lactation

  • intake of oral contraception or hormone therapy, history of taking any medications that affect lipid metabolism or oral isotretinoin
  • and systemic diseases that affect the metabolism of lipids, such as uncontrolled diabetes, hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome, end-stage renal failure, HIV, familial hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome.