Evaluation of Serum Androgen levels and BMI in Young Female Patients with Acne Vulgaris

Abstract

Background: Acne is an inflammatory disease with a complex pathogenesis that is influenced by genetic and hormonal factors. Androgen hormones affect sebocytes proliferation, differentiation and lipid synthesis. Increased sebum excretion is considered a major factor in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris and elevated serum androgen levels have been linked with acne resistant to conventional therapy. Another reported risk factor for developing acne is overweight or obesity. Methods: This is a case-control study in which twenty- five acne female patients aged 18-24 years and another age and sex -matched healthy individuals were included. Serum Testosterone, DHEAS and BMI were measured for all participants. Statistical analysis for the collected data was performed using appropriate statistical tests.   Results: There was significant elevation of serum DHEAS level (347.4 ±167.8 μg/dl) in acne patients comparing to the control  , p value 0.016 ,with a non significant elevation of serum testosterone(0.56 ±0.49 ng/ml), p value 0.055 . Both parameters showed no  significant differences among acne patients in concern with the disease severity   , P value 0.63 and 0.2 for testosterone and DHEAS respectively. Also, no significant differences were observed in BMI (p value 0.94) or menstrual cycle irregularity (p value 0.18) between Acne patients and the control in this age group. Conclusion: Acne vulgaris is a common disorder of pilosebaceous unit that mainly affects young age individuals. Hyperandrogenism, mainly DHEAS, is a potential risk for developing acne in female less than 25 years, however no significant correlation was found between body mass index (BMI), Testosterone or DHEAS and acne severity.