240 Frequency of acne in lactose intolerant patients: A cross-sectional study within a large US patient population

Abstract

Lifestyle factors, such as diet, may contribute to acne occurrence and exacerbation. Although an association between high intake of dairy products and acne has been reported in a European study, the relationship between acne and dairy products in the U.S. has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study is to assess the frequency and severity of acne (A) in a lactose intolerant (LI) U.S. patient population. A large urban medical record data repository (>5 million patients) was searched (Jan 2001 to Nov 2017) and yielded data for all patients with a diagnosis of both LI (ICD-codes: 271.3, E73.9') and A (ICD-codes: 706.1,70.0, L70.1, L70.2, L70.3, L70.5, L70.8, L70.8). Prescriptions for systemic therapy of acne vs no systemic therapy were used to categorize acne as mild or severe. Adjusted Odds Ratios (for gender, age, race) (aOR) were obtained by logistic regression analyses. Data for a total of 2,979 had a diagnosis of LI, of whom 229 had acne, yielding a significantly lower frequency of acne than in non-LI patients (N= 277,994 of which A= 45,306) (aOR: 0.54 95% CI: 0.47-0.62; p. These findings demonstrate both a significantly lower frequency of acne, as well as milder acne severity, in lactose intolerant patients, suggesting that dairy plays a role not only in acne occurrence, but also in severity. These findings may be in concert with the recently recognized role of IGF-1 (as found in dairy) as a contributor to acne pathogenesis. Further exploration of this mechanism and its possible association between acne and dairy intake might be warranted.