The Relationship Between Acne and Other Hyperandrogenism Signs

Background: One of the significant signs that may occur in patients suffering from hyperandrogenism is acne. It is obvious that knowing the cause and exact reason of each sign helps the physician come up with better examination and conclusion regarding the symptoms related to hyperandrogenism. Methods: We conducted a case-control study at the department of dermatology of Farshchian hospital in Hamadan, Iran, on 110 cases who continuously had been diagnosed with acne. The control subjects were outpatients that did not have acne but came to the clinic for consultation on dermatologic diseases other than hyperandrogenism. The patients were asked about the presence or absence of acne, age, menstrual regularity, body weight, height, hirsutism, androgenetic alopecia, family members with acne history, and food habits. Results: Acne was strongly associated with higher BMI, alopecia, menstrual dysfunction, positive familial history, and overuse of sweet and fatty foods. There was no association between acne and hirsutism. Some degrees of overmatching may arise from choosing dermatologic control subjects as well as from inclusion of other complaints. Conclusions: BMI, Alopecia, menstrual dysfunction, positive familial history, and overuse of sweet and fatty foods may influence the risk of acne.