Acne vulgaris: Prevalence and clinical forms in adolescents from São Paulo,Brazil

Background: acne is a common disease in adolescents,but there are no epidemiological data for acne in brazil. objectives: to estimate the prevalence and degree of acne in adolescents from sao paulo and study socio-demographic factors,family history and lifestyle,associated with the disease. methods: cross-sectional study with 452 adolescents aged between 10 and 17 (mean=13.3 years),students from elementary and high school,examined by 3 independent evaluators. results: 62.4% were female,85.8% white and 6.4% were aged 14. the prevalence was 96.0% and increased with age - all students over 14 had acne. the most prevalent form of acne was comedonal (61.1%),followed by mild (30.6%) and moderate (7.6%) papular-pustular,which affected mostly the face (97.5%). about half of the adolescents reported family history for acne in mother or father,and 20.6% reported previous treatment for acne. there was a higher chance of presenting non-comedonal acne with increased age (p<0.001). discussion: the prevalence of acne in adolescents varies widely due to the clinical features and diagnostic methods used. adolescents whose brothers/sisters had acne (or=1.7-p=0.027) and those over 13 (or=8.3- p<0.001),were more likely to have non-comedonal acne. conclusion: this study showed high prevalence of acne in adolescents from sao paulo,predominantly the comedonal form on the face,with a higher chance of presenting non-comedonal acne with increased age. © 2014 by anais brasileiros de dermatologia.