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Research Article: Evaluation of an Acne Severity Grading Self-Assessment System Suitable for the Thai Population – A Pilot Study

Date Published: 2023-11-03

Abstract:
Acne vulgaris (acne) is a common dermatological disorder in young children that frequently persists throughout adulthood. It is estimated that acne affects .% of the world’s population, making its prevalence the eighth highest worldwide. The pathogenesis of acne is multifactorial including multiple causes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The primary causes consist of follicular hyperkeratosis and excessive sebum production. Genetic factors also play a significant role, with approximately % of adult acne patients having confirmed cases of acne in their first-degree family. This genetic connection in acne development is further supported by cytogenetic studies. Additionally, Cutibacterium acnes, superinfection with co-infections with Staphylococcus aureus, and the presence of lipophilic yeasts (Malassezia furfur) also play role in the occurrence of acne. The prevalence of acne varies in different countries and ethnicities. In Thailand, acne is one of the most prevalent diseases, affecting % of adolescents. This condition has been significantly associated with negative psychosocial consequences, such as poor self-image, depression, and anxiety. Standardization of an acne severity grading system is important in clinical practice because the severity of acne is the most essential factor that influences treatment selection and assessment of treatment response. Grading of acne is also important for clinical, epidemiology and research studies that assess the general population. Generally, an ideal acne grading system should be simple, accurate and allows a quick assessment. Currently, there are many acne grading systems that broadly classify acne based on lesion counting and global assessment however there is no universally accepted acne grading system. Lesion counting is an impractical method because it is tedious, time-consuming and dependent on many variables, such as evaluators’ visual capacity. Global assessment is less time-consuming and recommended in systematic reviews to establish a consistency in clinical practice, clinical trials, and epidemiological surveys because of its simplicity, reproducibility, and good reliability for assessing acne. Additionally, it can distinguish the various clinical manifestations of acne, including the concentration, distribution, size, and signs of inflammation, which cannot be detected by lesion counting.– Thus, we believe that the global assessment is superior to lesion counting in terms of the clinical representation of acne severity, which is why it was chosen as the basis for our study. Interestingly, a previous study demonstrated that training the evaluators was essential to significantly increase the reliability of the evaluation of lesion counting and the global assessment.

Introduction:
Acne vulgaris (acne) is a common dermatological disorder in young children that frequently persists throughout adulthood. It is estimated that acne affects .% of the world’s population, making its prevalence the eighth highest worldwide. The pathogenesis of acne is multifactorial including multiple causes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The primary causes consist of follicular hyperkeratosis and excessive sebum production. Genetic factors also play a significant role, with approximately % of adult acne patients…

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