assessment of serum level of elafin in patients with acne vulgaris treated with isotretinoin

Background :acne vulgaris (av) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the pilosebaceous follicle. acne vulgaris is a prevalent disease that affects about 85% of adolescents. acne vulgaris develops due to complex and different etiologies. objectives :this study aimed to compare serum elafin levels of moderate and severe av patients versus healthy controls and to assess their levels before and after treatment with systemic isotretinoin. methods :this case-control study involved 30 patients who were clinically diagnosed with moderate and severe av, treated with isotretinoin, and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects as controls. patients were subjected to full general and cutaneous assessments. estimation of serum levels of elafin was performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) technique in controls and patients before and after isotretinoin treatment. results :there were statistically significantly higher serum elafin levels in controls than in patients (p = 0.001). of patients with av, there was a statistically significant reduction of serum elafin levels after isotretinoin therapy (p < 0.05). serum elafin had an excellent predictive power for av. conclusions :in av patients, assessment of serum elafin represents a useful tool for monitoring disease activity, severity, and evaluating the response to isotretinoin therapy.