serum level of insulin-like growth factor 1 in patients with acne vulgaris versus healthy subjects

Background: role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf1) and contributing cancer risk has been shown in many studies. hence, this study was performed to determine the serum level of igf-1 in patients with acne vulgaris in comparison with healthy subjects. methods: the current study was a case-control assessment performed on a sample of 102 subjects, including 51 known cases of acne and 51 healthy subjects (without acne as controls). serum igf-1 level was assessed and compared across the two groups. results: both groups were matched for age and gender (p > 0.05). the mean igf-1 level was significantly (p = 0.0001) higher in the case group. there was a significant reverse correlation between age and serum igf-1 level (p = 0.002, r = -0.417). also, the mean serum igf-1 level was significantly higher in males compared with females in the case group (p = 0.006). the severity and location of acne had no association with serum igf-1 level (p > 0.05). conclusions: overall, according to the obtained results in this study, itmaybe concluded that rate of metabolism is increased in patients with acne. this finding suggests that nutrition-related lifestyle factors play a role in acne pathogenesis. hence, modifications in these styles are recommended to control acne formation. also, use of igf-1-reducing drugs, such as metformin, may be useful for treatment of acne. however, this matter may be confirmed by future studies.