Severe acne vulgaris is associated with Helicobacter pylori infection: First report in the literature

Abstract

Both Acne vulgaris and infection with Helicobacter pylori (HP) are very prevalent all over the world. The objective of this study was to examine possible association between HP infection and various severities of Acne vulgaris. In this case-control study, 100 adolescents and young adults were recruited from two educational dermatological centers in Tabriz over a one-year period (2012-2013), including 25 normal subjects (controls) and 75 patients with Acne vulgaris (mild = 25, moderate = 25, severe = 25). Infection with HP was investigated using 13C-urea Breath Test (UBT). Serum level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) against HP was also measured in all the participants. All the groups were matched for their participants' age and sex. The rate of HP infection was 56% in the control group, 60% in the cases with mild Acne vulgaris, 72% in the cases with moderate Acne vulgaris and 88% in the cases with severe Acne vulgaris. In terms of the rate of HP infection, there was no significant difference between the controls and the cases with mild Acne vulgaris (p = 0.77), nor between the controls and the patients with moderate Acne vulgaris (p = 0.24). The rate of HP infection, however, was significantly higher in the cases with severe Acne vulgaris comparing with the controls (p = 0.01). Mean serum level of IgG was also significantly higher in the same group (1.87±1.62 U vs. 2.98±1.29 U, p = 0.05). Based on the findings of the present study, a significant association was present between severe Acne vulgaris and HP infection. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended.