Could acne vulgaris signify comorbid gastrointestinal conditions?

Moderate-to-severe acne could be linked to gastrointestinal comorbidities.

In a study published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology International, investigators used the 1997 to 2013 Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to examine the prevalence of gastrointestinal conditions among 185,491 patients with acne vulgaris.

Those with moderate-to-severe acne had a heightened risk of peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and constipation.

Despite the findings, the mechanisms between the connection remained unclear. The investigators proposed that the gut-skin-brain axis could be critical in acne pathophysiology. They suggested that dermatologists could consider multidisciplinary collaboration to help manage patients with moderate-to-severe acne.

Read more: JAAD International

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.