Preadolescents with higher socio-economic status present frequently with acne diagnosis

Minnesota: Researchers from Minnesota found that preadolescents with acne diagnosis have higher socioeconomic status than those without acne diagnosis. The study results were published in the journal Pediatric Dermatology. 

Acne is a prevalent condition, affecting the majority of people most often during adolescence or at some point in their lifetimes, Acne has also become increasingly common among preadolescents. Diagnosis and management of acne are of prime importance to have a better quality of life in preadolescents. As there is limited research on the potential relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) with acne in preadolescents, researchers have conducted a study to assess the possible relationship between SES and preadolescent acne. 

A population-based retrospective cohort study was carried out in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, children with an initial acne diagnosis between 7 and ≤12 years of age from 2010 to 2018 were taken into the study. Nearly 604 patients met the criteria and 2 sex- and age-matched controls without an acne diagnosis from the county were randomly selected for each acne case. Socioeconomic status was evaluated using individual HOUsing-based SocioEconomic Status Index (HOUSES) derived from real property data. It is represented as four quartiles with a higher quartile representing higher SES.

Key findings: 

• There was a significant difference in HOUSES distribution between cases and controls (p = .001); a higher proportion of acne cases were in quartile 4 (42.2% vs. 32.7%), indicating higher SES.
• No significant difference was seen in race and ethnicity between cases and controls.
• Among cases and controls, 74.5% and 72.3% were White, respectively.
• Study limitations include its retrospective design, only patients who visited a physician were included, and Olmsted County residents are largely non-Hispanic White. 

Despite the study limitations, the researchers concluded that Preadolescents with acne diagnoses have higher SESs than those without diagnoses, suggesting that there may be differences in access to treatment and proper diagnosis.

Further reading: Rodriguez Baisi KE, Weaver AL, Wi CI, Shakshouk H, Tollefson MM. Socioeconomic status, race, and preadolescent acne: A population-based retrospective cohort analysis in a mixed rural-urban community of the United States (Olmsted County, Minnesota) [published online ahead of print, 2023 Mar 25]. Pediatr Dermatol. 2023;10.1111/pde.15294. doi:10.1111/pde.15294