Association between metabolic syndrome and acne in teenage girls: a cross-sectional study

Background: Acne is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease predominantly occurring during adolescence; this condition adversely affects a person’s self-esteem and can be associated with metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in adolescent girls with acne compared to a control group. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study,105 adolescent girls aged 12-18 years were assigned to either the acne (case; n=55) or control group (n=50). The case group was selected from the Dermatology Department of a general hospital in Tehran, Iran, between January and August 2017. Acne lesions were confirmed and graded by a dermatologist. Clinical and biochemical parameters were evaluated for all participants. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with and without acne was 18.2% and 14%, respectively. As a result, metabolic syndrome was not correlated with acne in adolescent girls (P=0.561). In addition, the mean body mass index (P=0.89), waist circumference (P=0.62), mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P=0.57 and 0.62, respectively), fasting blood sugar (P=0.59), total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were comparable between the studied groups (P>0.05). Moreover, triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the acne group (P=0.028), whereas this group featured a higher level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.02). However, the logistic regression results showed that none of the measured lipids were associated with acne. Conclusion: The findings indicated that metabolic syndrome and its components (representing metabolic imbalance) were not correlated with acne in adolescent girls.