Correlation between the severity and type of acne lesions with serum zinc levels in patients with acne vulgaris.

Majid Rostami Mogaddam,Maedeh Soflaee,Nasrollah Maleki,Nastaran Safavi Ardabili

doi:10.1155/2014/474108

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is the most common cutaneous disorder affecting adolescents and young adults. Some studies have reported an association between serum zinc levels and acne vulgaris. We aimed to evaluate the serum zinc level in patients with acne vulgaris and compare it with healthy controls. One hundred patients with acne vulgaris and 100 healthy controls were referred to our clinic. Acne severity was classified according to Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to measure serum zinc levels. Mean serum level of zinc in acne patients and controls was 81.31 ± 17.63 μg/dl and 82.63 ± 17.49 μg/dl, respectively. Although the mean serum zinc level was lower in acne group, it was not statistically significant (P = 0.598). There was a correlation between serum zinc levels with severity and type of acne lesions. The results of our study suggest that zinc levels may be related to the severity and type of acne lesions in patients with acne vulgaris. Relative decrease of serum zinc level in acne patients suggests a role for zinc in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris.

Highlights

Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease, affecting nearly 80 percent of persons at some time between the ages of 11 and 30 years [1,2,3,4,5]
We aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum zinc levels and disease severity in acne vulgaris patients
A total of 100 acne vulgaris patients and 100 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study

Summary

Introduction

Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease, affecting nearly 80 percent of persons at some time between the ages of 11 and 30 years [1,2,3,4,5]. Estimates of the prevalence of acne vulgaris in adolescents range from 35 to over 90 percent [6] It can persist for years and result in disfigurement and permanent scarring, and it can have serious adverse effects on psychosocial development, resulting in emotional problems, withdrawal from society, and depression [2]. The earliest change in the pilosebaceous unit was initially thought to be follicular hyperkeratinization, which is associated with both increased proliferation and decreased desquamation of keratinocytes lining the follicular orifice [8]. Initiating factors for this inflammatory process are unknown

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