مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان (Mar 2012)
Association of ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups with Acne Vulgaris
Abstract
Background: Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin disorders worldwide, affecting 85% of adolescents. Acne has significant effects on psychosocial and emotional health particularly in young patients with facial involvement. Much attention has been devoted to find different predisposing factors of acne vulgaris thus far. In this study, we evaluate the association of severe acne vulgaris with ABO and Rh blood groups. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 500 consecutive patients with severe acne vulgaris referred to our university hospital dermatology clinic between April 2005 and April 2010. ABO and Rh blood groups of the patients were compared to the previously reported data of 1,300,000 healthy subjects from general population. Findings: Mean age of the patients was 24.11 ± 6.8 years (24.33 ± 6.9 years for women and 22.14 ± 5.0 years for men). Peak age of the disease presentation was 22 in both sexes. Distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups between male and female patients were not significantly different (P = 0.55 and P = 0.33, respectively). ABO blood group distribution among the patients was as follows: blood group O in 44%, A in 25.6%, B in 20.8% and AB in 9.6%. In addition, 92% of patients were Rh positive. When comparing patients with severe acne vulgaris to the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between groups according to ABO/Rh blood groups (P = 0.72 and P = 0.80, respectively). Conclusion: There was no association between ABO/Rh blood groups and the severe form of acne vulgaris. Further studies with greater sample size are recommended for confirming our findings.
