<p>Vitamin D Levels in Patients with and without Acne and Its Relation to Acne Severity: A Case-Control Study</p>

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D plays a significant role in the function of the immune system and it influences many dermatological diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is growing globally, with around 30-50% of people are known to have low levels of vitamin D. Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit. Studies about the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris have shown conflicting and nonconclusive results. Thus, the precise purpose of vitamin D has not yet been established. Objective: First, to evaluate serum levels of vitamin D through a representative sample of patients with acne vulgaris and compare it with matched healthy controls. Second, to investigate if there is a relation between serum vitamin D level and the severity of acne vulgaris. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 68 patients with acne vulgaris and 50 matched healthy controls. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D] levels were measured for both patients and healthy controls. Results: The study yielded lower levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in patients with acne vulgaris than its level in healthy controls. This is statistically significant with P-value = 0.003. Regarding age, gender, and sun exposure, there is no significant variation in serum 25hydroxyvitamin D level. Also, no significant difference between the severity of acne and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Conclusion: This study has shown clearly that vitamin D deficiency is more frequent in patients with acne with P-value = 0.003. However, no significant association between the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D] and the severity of acne vulgaris. Further clinical trials on a larger scale are needed to address the importance of vitamin D in acne vulgaris. Specifically, determining whether treatment of acne with both topical vitamin D analogs and vitamin D supplementation is of significant effect.

Association between Vitamin D Level and Acne, and Correlation with Disease Severity: A Meta-Analysis

“…Therefore, thirteen studies, involving 1,362 patients with acne and 1,081 HCs, were finally included. The characteristics of the thirteen studies [6,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] are presented in Table 1.…”

Correlation between Serum 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D levels and the severity of acne vulgaris: A systematic review

“…The sample size of the studies ranged from 15 to 150. The studies were conducted in South Korea,[ 6 ] Egypt,[ 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 ] Saudi Arabia,[ 12 ] and Iran [ Table 1 ]. [ 14 ]…”

“…Seven studies showed that mean serum 25(OH) D was lower in cases[ 6 12 15 16 17 19 20 ] and five of them reached statistical significance. [ 12 15 16 17 19 ] Almost all studies (8 of 10) revealed lower serum 25(OH) D levels as the acne severity progresses, although two of them were not statistically significant. [ 19 20 ] A total of eight studies used GAGS for acne severity grading, while two other studies used Tutakne and IAEM.…”

“…Many studies revealed that serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D[25(OH)D] levels tend to be significantly low in acne vulgaris patients. [ 11 12 13 14 ] However, the relationship between vitamin D levels and the degree of severity is still inconclusive. Therefore, to further investigate this possible relationship, we conducted a systematic review that compared the serum 25(OH) D levels in acne vulgaris patients according to its severity.…”

The Association Between Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Post-Adolescent Acne: The Evidence from a Time Series Analysis in Xi’an, China

“… 2 , 33 , 34 A consistent rise in the outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne also has been found in Xi’an, China during the study period. The reason for such growth was complex and might be attributed to that some lifestyle factors associated with post-adolescent acne such as smoking 35 and western diet 36 , 37 are gradually prevalent in adults. 38 , 39 However, the outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne exhibited a season variation, peaking in winter and decreasing in summer.…”