High Frequency of Fibromyalgia in Patients With Acne Vulgaris

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome and to specify fibromyalgia syndrome-associated clinical symptoms in patients with acne vulgaris. Patients and methods: Eighty-eight patients (28 males, 60 females; mean age 23.2±5.1 years; range 18 to 40 years) with acne vulgaris and age, sexand body mass index-similar 76 healthy controls (14 males, 62 females; mean age 24.5±2.9 years; range 18 to 35 years) were included. Acne vulgaris was evaluated by using the Global Acne Scale, while Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to evaluate anxiety. Results: Fibromyalgia-associated pain, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and menstrual cycle disturbance were significantly more frequent in patients with acne vulgaris than controls. Also, the severity of anxiety and the number of tender points were significantly higher in the acne vulgaris patients than controls. Conclusion: This study indicates that patients with acne vulgaris have increased frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome than healthy controls (21.6% versus 5.3%, respectively).

Stigma predicts health-related quality of life impairment, psychological distress, and somatic symptoms in acne sufferers

“…Importantly, the findings also provide further support for the comparatively limited amount of studies investigating physical health problems experienced by acne sufferers. Participants in the present study were found to experience similar levels of somatic symptoms to other stigmatized groups (e.g., [ 35 ]), which reinforces recent research showing that acne sufferers are likely to develop somatic symptoms other than those directly related to the skin condition itself [ 7 , 60 ], particularly if they feel stigmatized.…”

Fibromyalgia in Women with Acne Vulgaris

“…Many women experience a worsening of acne during the premenstrual cycle [28]. We found that menstrual cycle disturbance was more common in women with acne vulgaris than in healthy controls, this finding is in agreement with Yazmalar et al [20], Finding Premenstrual exacerbation of acne is multifactorial [29]. Higher levels of androgens and oestrogens during the follicular phase and periovulation causes increased sebum production, higher level of skin lipids, and subsequent increase in skin microflora resulting in acne exacerbation.…”

“…In this study, widespread pain was found to be more prevalent in women with acne vulgaris than in the control group in a prevalence rate of 50.0% and 6.6% respectively. The prevalence rate of FMS among women with acne vulgaris was found to be 30.0% which is higher when compared to a study done by Yazmalar et al [20] who found FMS was affected 16% of women in his study group, and another study done by Thune [17] who found FMS was affected 13% of women with psoriasis which is another distressing skin disease, and it seems to be low when compared to a study done by Torresani et al [21] who found the prevalence rate of FMS was 53.9% in women with chronic urticaria. The prevalence rate of FMS in our study population is considered high when compared to the prevalence rate in the control group and in women in the general population [22].…”

“…Depression was more frequent among our study group, finding is comparable to other studies [25,26], but it is not in agreement with some other studies [24,27]. Fatigue was more frequent among our study group patients than in the controls, this finding is in contrast to a study done by Yazmalar et al [20] who found no difference in the frequency of fatigue between the acne patients and healthy controls.…”

“…Some of fibromyalgia associated clinical symptoms have been addressed in patients with acne vulgaris in the literatures [18,19]. However, to our knowledge, there is only one study evaluating the frequency of FMS in patients with acne vulgaris [20]. We therefore conducted this study was to determine the prevalence of fibromyalgia and its associated clinical symptoms in patients with acne vulgaris.…”