Comparisons of Four Acne Grading Systems Recommended in China, Korea, and Japan

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is one of the most prevalent skin disorders. The treatment regimen depends on how severe the AV is. The acne grading system is crucial for clinical and research work. The aim of this work was to evaluate intra-grader differences between 5 investigators using Acne Grading System (AGS), the International Improved Grading System (IIGS), the Korean Acne Grading System (KAGS), and the Japanese Acne Grading System (JAGS) to assess acne vulgaris (AV) severity. Patients and Methods: AV sufferers from dermatological clinics of five hospitals in China were the subject of a prospective crosssectional study. AGS, IIGS, KAGS and JAGS were utilized by 5 investigators to verify the severity of AV. The correlation between AGS, IIGS, KAGS and JAGS was examined. Results: A complete of 1107 AV sufferers were enrolled in the study. There were indications that the AGS, IIGS, KAGS and JAGS had sufficient internal consistency. As for the reliability amongst raters, AGS, IIGS, KAGS and JAGS confirmed gorgeous reliability. There were strong correlations amongst AGS, IIGS, KAGS and JAGS (P≤0.01). The interior reliability of investigator 1 one year ago and later after usage of AGS and IIGS was excellent (P≤0.01). Conclusion: IIGS and AGS exhibited great correlation with KAGS and JAGS and were highly reliable.

Effects of oral isotretinoin treatment for acne vulgaris patients on anger responses and the relationship with temperament

“…Acne vulgaris (AV), per se , is a disease characterized by inflammatory changes in the pilosebaceous follicles occurring in the form of comedones, papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts that may cause appearance disorders due to serious permanent scarring. Generally, the disease is defined to affect adolescents and young adults with different clinical appearances, and the severity of the disease and the individual's perceptions may be different 1 . There are at least three types of interaction proposed between AV and mental factors: (1) there is a complicated relationship between stress and AV involving the neuroimmune cutaneous system and hypothalamic-pituitary axis with AV observed or becoming more severe via this pathway; (2) AV develops secondarily in patients with psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, social phobia, and low self-esteem; and (3) just as in body dysmorphic disorder, a primary psychiatric disorder is the focus of acne 2 .…”

“…However, cases developing depressive symptoms during isotretinoin therapy exhibit that patients need to be closely monitored for the development of anxiety and depression during the treatment process 4 . Some authors state that acne should be dealt with as an organic event with personality traits having no effect on the development of acne 5 , while some identify the disrupted quality of life 6 , high anger levels 7 , and difficulty in terms of social and functioning 1 among acne cases.…”