Study Shows Possible Link Between Adult Acne and Thyroid Autoimmunity

Researchers, led by Theognosia Vergou at the Athens University School of Medicine in Greece, have concluded that thyroid autoimmunity might be more common in adult acne patients than controls. The conclusion is based on their study of 107 women with post-adolescent acne and 60 healthy controls, which appeared in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venreology (Vol. 26, No. 4). Methods involved determining complete blood counts, including standard biochemical profiles of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and thyroid hormone and antibody levels in both groups. A thyroid ultrasound was also performed. Results showed that while there was no significant difference in values for TSH, FT4, FT3, T4 and anti-TPO between the groups, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of anti-TG antibodies (P=0.008). Among adult acne subjects, 25.2% had elevated (>40 U/mL) anti-TGP levels vs. 8.3% of the control group.