Factors associated with the occurrence of adult acne in African tropical environment

Abstract

Aim To identify the risk factors associated with the occurrence of adult acne in tropical Africa. Materials and methods This was a matched case-control study at the Dermatology-Venerology Department of the Treichville University Hospital from January 5 to September 24, 2021. Cases were patients aged 25 years and older seen in consultation for recent acne. Controls were patients consulting in the same department without acne. We recruited two controls for one case by matching them on sex and age. SAS software version 9.4 was used for statistical analyses. Results We interviewed 1089 patients, of whom 144 were men and 945 were women. The cases consisted of 48 men and 315 women. The acne patients had a professional activity that exposed them to the sun most frequently (73%) and were mostly single (70%). The median age of the patients was 29.64 years, the median body mass index was 24.03 kg/m2. The median number of lesions was 10 (forehead), 15 (right cheek), 15 (left cheek), 10 (chin) and 8 (lower lip). After adjustment, variables associated with acne were sun exposure (OR = 2.19), low seafood consumption (OR = 6.74), family stress (OR = 2.53) and skin depigmentation (OR = 14.17). Conclusion The factors associated with adult acne in tropical environments are numerous. In our study, seafood seems to have protective effects against acne.