Abstract

Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition which mainly affects over three-quarters of adolescents at some time during or following their puberty. There are few Indian studies on the profile of acne vulgaris. Aim: To study the epidemiology of acne vulgaris in rural central India and its relationship with smoking and seborrheic capitis and menstrual cycle and androgenetic markers in females and its seasonal variation. Methods: The study was conducted between November 2012 and October 2014. All patients with acne vulgaris who consented to participate in the study were included. The parameters which were evaluated, included age, gender, age of onset, duration of lesions, site of lesions, grade, post-acne scarring, post-acne hyperpigmentation, seasonal variation, history of smoking, clinical markers of androgenicity in females, clinical evidence of seborrheic capitis. Results: A total of 210 patients with acne vulgaris were included in the study. Male to female ratio was 1.02:1 with mean age of 17.28 years. The most common age groups were 16-20 years and 21-25 years. Face was the most common site involved followed by the back, arms, chest and neck. The most common type of lesion in this study was comedone. A total of 49 patients had grade 1 acne vulgaris and 126 had grade 2 acne. Grade 3 acne vulgaris was diagnosed in 29 patients and grade 4 in 6 patients. It was also found that male patients had more severe acne vulgaris. Post-acne scarring was seen in 97 patients. Patients with longer duration of the disease are more likely to have post-acne scarring which was significant. Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) was observed in 149 patients.49 female patients had a history of premenstrual flare of acne. Nine patients had some marker of androgenicity. There was no association between severity of acne vulgaris and the markers of androgenicity. Seborrheic capitis was the most common disease associated with acne vulgaris. Seasonal variation was observed in 56 patients. Smoking had no relation to severity of acne. Conclusion: This study introduced with the prevalence of acne vulgaris in a tertiary care hospital of rural central india.

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