Akter E1, Islam KA2, Haque MH3, Alam MR4, Amin MZ5, Akbar IA6
Background: Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin conditions among young girls and women, resulting from a complex interaction of various physiological factors, including raised serum lipid profile. Present study aims to identify the relation between serum lipid profile and the incidence of acne vulgaris among young women. Materials and methods: This is a case control study conducted among 51 girls and women with acne vulgaris between the age of 10 — 24 years as case and age sex matched 51 healthy women without acne as control. Disease severity among acne patients were evaluated using Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Plasma total cholester- ol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) levels were estimated from 12 hours fasting venous blood specimens from each participant. Results: Mean age was 19.29 + 3.09 years for case and 18.84 + 3.08 years for control. Among the 51 acne patients, 20 (39.2%) had moderate disease and 31 (60.8%) had severe disease. Serum TC was significantly (p < 0.001) higher among patients with severe acne than patients with moderate acne; 175.27 + 15.61 mg/dl and 137.90 + 10.48 mg/dl respectively. Serum HDL, LDL and TG were higher among the patients with severe acne than moderate acne. Compared to control group, serum TC and HDL were significantly (P < 0.001 and < 0.05, respectively) higher for acne patients than control. Serum LDL and TG were also higher among acne patients than control, but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Significant alteration in serum lipid profile among patients with acne vulgaris is evident from this study. Therefore, routine screening for lipid profile abnormalities should be considered for the treatment of patients with acne vulgaris.
