Background
Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting a large section of
the population. However, the serum levels of acute phase proteins (APPs) in those
patients have not been studied enough.
Objective
To study the serum levels of different APPs in acne vulgaris patients and to
investigate their clinical relevance.
Patients and methods
Sixty moderate to severe active acne vulgaris patients according to Global Acne
Grading system, in addition to forty age, sex and BMI matched acne free control
subjects were included. Double-antibody sandwich ELISA kits were used for
measuring high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin and hepcidin
according to manufacturer’s protocols.
Results
Serum levels of hs-CRP and hepcidin were significantly higher in patients than
control subjects (P=0.01 and 0.02 respectively). The serum level of hsCRP in
severe acne vulgaris patients was significantly higher than in moderate disease
(P=0.02). Patients with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation showed significantly
higher hepcidin level than those without post inflammatory hyperpigmentation
(P=