Association between acne vulgaris and body mass index in adult population: a tertiary hospital-based prospective study in north karnataka, india

Abstract

Introduction: Acne vulgaris affects pilosebaceous units, manifesting as comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules. While primarily affecting adolescents, it’s prevalence may continue into adulthood. Beyond cosmetic concerns, acne significantly affects psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Its pathophysiology involves four key factors: increased sebum production, abnormal follicular keratinization, Cutibacterium acnes colonization, and inflammation. Androgens play a crucial role, but modern research recognizes additional influences including diet, genetics, environment, and metabolism, establishing acne as a complex, multifactorial condition. A possible relationship between adult acne severity and body mass index has been explored in recent studies. Aims and objectives: We sought to assess the impact of body mass index on severity of acne. Materials and methods: In this single centre prospective case-control study 312 acne cases and 312 age-matched controls were included, and their body mass index were also calculated according to WHO and Asian classification. Patients and controls above 18 years of age who were age and gender-matched, presenting to the Department of Dermatology, Shri BM Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Center, Vijayapura were included in the study. Results: The mean age of cases was 23.08 years, while that of controls was 25.03 years. A majority of the cases (60.3%) belonged to the younger age group (≤22 years). Additionally, there was a female predominance, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.35:1. There was no statistically significant difference between BMI of males and females. On comparing the mean BMI, it was ix Docusign Envelope ID: 5748B4DB-4877-4559-9591-11F3681467C1 lower in cases (21.659) than in controls (22.294) (p = 0.032), indicating that acne cases tend to have slightly lower BMI. Limitations: Dietary and lifestyle factors were not recorded. Conclusions: This study provides novel evidence of an inverse relationship between BMI and both acne prevalence and severity in an adult population from North Karnataka, India.