Correlation study of acne vulgaris and serum vitamin D levels in adolescents

Objective: Approximately 9.4% of the world population is affected by acne during adolescence. Several previous studies have shown a significant relationship between acne vulgaris (AV) and serum vitamin D levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between AV and serum vitamin D levels in adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 60 healthy students with AV aged 15-18 y from three high schools in Depok, which were selected via simple random selection, and the selection of participants was based on consecutive sampling selection after screening with the inclusion criteria. Serum vitamin D levels were evaluated using a direct Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) method. The lesions of AV were counted by a dermatologist. Dietary vitamin D and fat intake were assessed using a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. The data were processed using SPSS Statistics 20.0 and analyzed using Pearson or Spearman correlation tests. Results: The mean serum vitamin D level was 17.29±6.77 ng/ml. The mean number of non-inflammatory lesions was 20.5±12.08, and the median number of inflammatory lesions was 6 (range 0-28). The correlation between the number of non-inflammatory lesion and serum vitamin D levels was r = 0.25 (p = 0.052) and the correlation between the number of inflammatory lesions and serum vitamin D levels was r = 0.047 (p = 0.72). Conclusion: Serum vitamin D levels are not significantly correlated with AV despite whether the lesions are inflammatory or non-inflammatory.