Factors Influencing the Occurrence of Steroid acne

Abstract

AbstractBackground: Steroid acne is an acneoform eruption induced by steroids use. Steroid acne is relatively common dermatological problem, causing great cosmetic disfigurement.Objective: The study is aimed to evaluate several influencing factors on the occurrence of steroid acne. The factors to be assessed are age, sex, marital status, route of steroid administration, past history of acne, self-steroid prescription and type of occupation (outdoor/indoor).Patients & Methods: A case control study is performed. The study subjects were collected from Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital and private clinic. They were allocated into 2 groups in a ratio of 1:1. The cases group includes patients with steroid acne and controls group include patients with any steroid responsive dermatoses. The study period was from January 2002 until July 2002. Logistic regression analysis is used to examine the effect of the above-mentioned factors; their effect is expressed as odds ratios.Results: Seventy five steroid acne patients with a mean age of 20.8±4.5 years were collected and compared with a similar number of patients with any steroid responsive dermatosis as controls with a mean age of 30±10 years. Data analysis showed that the following factors contribute significantly to the increased incidence of steroid acne: sex (odds ratio: 3.95, P value: 0.009), route of steroid administration (odds ratio: 3.2, P value: 0.0319) and self drug prescription (odds ratio: 9.8, P value: 0.0002).Conclusion: The problem of injudicious use of topical and systemic steroids for cosmetic purposes is increasing in Iraqi society. This improper use of steroids reflects the increased incidence of steroid acne in Iraqi dermatology practice.Key words: Steroid acne, Acneoform eruption, influencing factors.