Acne Vulgaris among Egyptian Secondary School Adolescents: Prevalence, Complementary Alternative Treatment and Impact on Quality Of Life

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a skin disease of chronic inflammatory nature. Although acne is not a life threatening, it has a deleterious impact on patients' social and psychological health. Objective: to estimate the prevalence of acne among Egyptian adolescents and its effect on their quality of life (QOL) as well as usage of complementary alternative medicine (CAM). Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 985 secondary school adolescents. They were asked to fill out a questionnaire including their socio-demographic data and CAM usage information. Their height and body weight were measured to calculate their body mass index (BMI). The Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to assess their quality of life status. Results: The overall prevalence of acne vulgaris was 36.9% most of them were in mild form (52.3%). It was not significantly affected by age or type of school. Acne vulgaris was significantly more prevalent among females, those living in urban areas and with low socio-economic status (SES). All the scales of the SF36 QOL questionnaire were significantly lower among participants with acne. About 50% of those who had acne tried CAM at least once. Honey-yoghurt and yeast face masks were the commonest CAM used without any significant difference between males and females. Conclusion: Acne vulgaris is common among secondary school children and can significantly affect their QOL. Most of them may try CAM at least once. More knowledge on how to deal with and treat acne should be provided to students in this age.