Assessment of sympathetic skin response to acne vulgaris

Abstract

Acne vulgaris (AV) is a common pilosebase unit disease characterized by peripheral inflammation. Because it is associated with the peripheral nervous system, the cranial nervous system and the autonomic nervous system, the skin is a neuroimmunoendocrine organ. Various neuroendocrine hormones and catecholamines are also released by keratinocytes, which stimulate inflammation in the pilosebase unit. In this study, sympathetic skin response (SSR) evaluating the sympathetic nervous system function as a reflex against internal and external stimuli in AV will be evaluated. 31 AV patients (mean age: 22.48 ± 2.35, 20 female, 11 male) and 29 healthy volunteers (mean age: 23.19 ± 1.27, 18 female, 11 male) between the ages of 18-30 were included in the study. All patient and control groups were questioned about detailed disease and medication intake history. Dermatologic examination was performed by a single experienced dermatologist, and global acne score (GAS) was calculated. For SSR measurement, both median nerve were warned separately on both wrists. The frequency filters is set to 0.5-2000 Hz and the analysis time is set to about 10 seconds. The SSR latencies were recorded in seconds (s) and the amplitudes were recorded in millivolts (mV). The mean age and sex of the groups were similar (p> 0,05, for each). There was no significant difference between AV and healthy control groups in terms of SSR latencies and amplitudes in both extremes ((p> 0.05, for each) AV patients had a mean GAS of 15.61. There was no correlation between GAS and latency and amplitude values of both extremities in AV patients (p> 0.05). As a result, it was found that SSR did not differ from normal people in AV cases. Changes in the autonomic nervous system in AV should be evaluated with more sensitive tests.