Adrenal Androgen Profile In Male Patients With Acne Vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory, exclusively human disease of the pilosebaceous unit located on the face, chest, shoulders, and back, where they are most common. Hyperandrogenism is recognized as a crucial pathogenic factor in the female patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of androgen on the pathogenesis of acne in male patients and the reflect of that on the treatment modalities. Thirty seven male patients with acne vulgaris of different severities and 10 normal male persons as control were included in this work. Serum levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, and 17- hydroxyprogesterone levels were determined in all patients and controls. There was significantly higher mean level of 17-OHP, and DHEAS than the controls (P value 0.01), but was not correlated to acne severity. This may suggest that a proportion of male acne patients display disturbances of androgen metabolism and late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia may underlay this condition. Those patients needed systemic corticosteroid to reach remission. This suggests that estimation of adrenal androgen in male patients suffering of acne may help in proper management.