Assessment of oxidative stress in adolescents with acne vulgaris and anxiety disorders

Abstract

Objectives: Anxiety disorders (AD) are common comorbid conditions with acne vulgaris (AV). Oxidative mechanisms play roles in the pathogenesis of both AV and AD. We aimed to evaluate the oxidative-antioxidative status in patients diagnosed with AD and AV. Methods: A total of 126 adolescents (11-17 years old) diagnosed with AV were recruited. Individuals (n= 95) who met the inclusion criteria were assessed by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children (K-SADS) and Global Acne Severity Scale. The subjects were divided into a study group (AV plus AD, n= 35) and an acne control group (AV only, n= 37), and compared with a healthy control group (n= 35). From venous blood, total antioxidant score (TAS), total oxidant score (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were calculated. Results: The average age of the subjects (n= 95; 53.6% female) was 14.8 +/- 1.6 years. Comorbid AD was observed in 36.8% of the subjects. The study and acne control groups were similar in age, gender, acne duration and severity. The TOS and OSI were the highest and the TAS was lowest in the study group, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. Discussion: We found that AD is common in adolescents with AV, but it seems to have some negligible effects in redox reactions. Further studies are needed to show the relationship between AD and AV in terms of oxidative stress. Nevertheless careful psychiatric assessment and measurement of oxidative-antioxidative levels may be helpful for planning treatment modalities for adolescents with AV and AD.