Prevalence of acne vulgaris in patients with Down syndrome.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Acne vulgaris exhibits a worldwide prevalence of up to 95% among adolescents. On the other hand, Down syndrome is an autosomal chromosomal disorder with associated dermatoses and a tendency to obesity. There are no data on its association with acne. Our aim was to detect the prevalence of acne, its forms and associated factors in Down syndrome.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study including 89 subjects aged 10-28 years from Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais-São Paulo to verify acne, metabolic and hormonal disorders by interview, clinical and laboratory examinations.

RESULTS

We evaluated 49 (55%) males and 40 (45%) females. A weak agreement between self-estimation for acne and examination result was detected. The overall prevalence of acne was 70.8%: 83.7% in males and 55% in females. The prevalence of acne in the age groups 10-17 and 18-28 was 62 and 78.7%, respectively. Facial comedonal acne was mostly detected. The prevalence of obesity was 40%, that of metabolic disorders 7% and that of hyperandrogenism (in females) 15%. Except for gender, no other factor evaluated correlated with acne.

CONCLUSION

A low prevalence of acne in Down syndrome, a predominance in males aged 18-28 and a facial comedonal form were detected. An association with obesity, metabolic disorders or hyperandrogenemia was not assessed.