Objective To determine the relationship between air pollutants [SO
Acne Vulgaris ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; China/epidemiology* ; Environmental Pollutants ; Female ; Gases ; Humans ; Male ; Outpatients

By searching the database of CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed, the prevalence and risk factors of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and urticaria were relatively more investigated, which were the skin diseases of more concern in the current epidemiological study of skin diseases. Three national epidemiologic surveys reported that the prevalence of atopic dermatitis increased from 0.69% in 1998, to 3.07% in 2002, and 12.94% in 2014, respectively. The prevalence of psoriasis increased from 0.123% in 1984 to 0.47% in 2009 according to 2 national surveys. The prevalence of acne was 8.1% in a national investigation in 2008. Representative national prevalence data of urticaria is not available. Risk factors for these skin diseases are distinct. Atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and urticaria are more related to environment and mental stress, while acne is more related to skin type and dietary factors. Owing to the heterogeneities in diagnostic methods used in the dermatoepidemiologic surveys (some of the diagnoses were self-reported) and a lack of follow ups, the reliability of data remained questionable, and the comparability across the surveys was difficult. As a result, it is necessary to conduct population-based cohort studies on skin diseases in China.
Acne Vulgaris ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis ; epidemiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Risk Factors ; Urticaria

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between syndrome types of late-onset acne female patients and constitutions of Chinese medicine (CM).

METHODSA questionnaire was performed in 365 late-onset acne female patients and 135 healthy subjects (as the control) using Professor WANG Qi's. methods and Standards for Chinese Medical Constitutions Classification.

RESULTSTheir CM constitutions were sequenced as damp-heat constitution, yin-deficiency constitution, balanced constitution, yang-deficiency constitution, blood-stasis constitution, qi-stagnation constitution, qi-deficiency constitution, phlegm-damp constitution, inherited special constitution, with statistical difference when compared with those of the control group ( χ2 = 85.206, P < 0.01). In the 365 female late-onset acne patients, 114 (31.23%) were with Chongren imbalance syndrome, 108 (29.59%) were with blood stasis or coagulated phlegm syndrome, 83 (22.74%) were with dampness heat syndrome, and 60 (16.44%) were with wind heat syndrome. There was statistical difference in CM constitution distributions among different CM syndrome types (χ2 = 105.671, P < 0.01). The distribution of CM medical constitutions was different between the two groups. Biased constitutions were often seen in the patient group, while balanced constitution was often seen in the control group. Binary Logistic regression analysis indicated that influencing factors covered sweet food, light diet, roasted food, coffee, stress, work pressure, and family pressure. Of them light diet was one protective factor, while the rest were adverse factors.

CONCLUSIONThe etiology and syndrome types of female late-onset acne female patients were associated with CM constitution.

Acne Vulgaris ; epidemiology ; Body Constitution ; Female ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Syndrome ; Yang Deficiency ; Yin Deficiency

OBJECTIVE: To understand the influential factors for depression in patients with facial acne vulgaris and to provide scientific evidence for a comprehensive and systematic treatment for acne vulgaris.
 METHODS: A total of 287 outpatients with facial acne vulgaris, who visited the dermatology of the Third Xiangya Hospital, were surveyed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The data was collected by Epidata software (version 3.1) and processed by SPSS software package (version 18.0). The influential factors for the depression of outpatients with facial acne vulgaris were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression.
 RESULTS: A total of 181 patients with facial acne vulgaris showed various degrees of depression (BDI score≥5) and the rate was 63.1%. The symptoms for depression included sad and pessimistic attitude as well as the decreased attention to others (social withdrawal). The influential factors for mild, moderate or severe depression were gender, the degree and the course of acne. Female patients were more likely to suffer mild, moderate or severe depression (OR=3.62, 2.63, respectively); the risk of depression in acne patients was increased with the increase in degree of the severity (OR=2.31, 4.51, respectively); the patients with the acne course more than a year were more likely to show mild depression than those with a course less than a year (OR=4.30, 7.44, respectively). The patients with acne course more than 3 years were more likely to show moderate or severe depression compared to those with a course less than a year (OR=3.60).
 CONCLUSION Most of facial acne patients show a different degree of depression. The acne course is longer in female patients. The more severe the acne vulgaris is, the more suffering of the depression is. Psychological care should be considered to improve the treatment and quality of life.
Acne Vulgaris ; epidemiology ; Depression ; epidemiology ; Face ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was conducted to clarify the prevalence of common skin diseases and their associated factors among military personnel in Korea. Four dermatologists visited adjacent military units and examined soldiers. A structured questionnaire that included questions about known skin diseases, demographic information, and questions for the Perceived Stress Index was completed for each participant. The soldiers that had been diagnosed with a skin disease answered one additional questionnaire (Skindex-29) which assess the influence of an individual's skin disease on daily life. Of 1,321 soldiers examined, 798 (60.4%) had one or more skin diseases. The three most common skin problems were acne (35.6%), tinea pedis (15.2%) and atopic dermatitis (5.1%). The diseases closely related to the period of military service were acne, tinea pedis, viral warts and corns. The diseases related to the amount of stress were atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and acne. The most troublesome skin diseases were atopic dermatitis, tinea cruris, and seborrheic dermatitis. These results demonstrated that the prevalence of skin disease among military personnel in Korea is very high, and that some of the skin disorders may have a significant influence on their daily lives.
Acne Vulgaris/epidemiology ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Skin Diseases/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Stress, Psychological ; Tinea Pedis/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Little is known about the treatment-seeking behaviors of acne patients, especially Asian acne patients. This study was performed to obtain detailed information about the treatment-seeking behaviors in Korean acne patients. Patients who visited the dermatology departments at 17 university hospitals completed a self-administered questionnaire. Most patients obtained information about acne from doctors or the Internet. The most important criteria for selecting a treatment method or choosing a particular clinic were effectiveness and accessibility. Patients used traditional medicine, visited beauty clinics, drank more water, and used over-the-counter topical agents more frequently than they sought doctors during the worsening period. The degree of satisfaction in treatment was found to depend on the total cost of treatment, number of places visited, site affected by acne, and emotional stress. Those who had experienced a side effect tended to have been treated for longer, to have paid more for treatment, and to have an associated skin disease. Treatments prescribed by dermatology clinics had the lowest aggravating rate, although improvement rates for family medicine clinics were also fairly high. This is the first study to investigate in detail the demographic features and characteristics of the treatmentseeking behaviors of acne patients in Asia.
Acne Vulgaris/epidemiology/*psychology/therapy ; Adult ; Demography ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; *Patient Satisfaction ; Questionnaires ; Sex Factors ; Stress, Psychological ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Acne is a common skin disorder which affects both adolescents and adults. However, there have been few Korean epidemiological studies conducted. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence, demographic factors, clinical features and aggravating factors of acne. We also investigated the relationship of these factors. METHODS: Epidemiological and clinical data was obtained by interviewing 657 acne patients, newly enrolled at Seoul National University Hospital Acne Clinic between 1996 and 2004. RESULTS: Most patients were found to have facial acne, and the forehead and cheeks were the most common sites where acne first developed. Males tended to visit the hospital because of social problems compared to females. We identified some significant correlations with sex, age of onset, disease duration, first affected site, seborrhea, and family history. Acne lesions developed earlier and disease duration was longer in the group with a family history of acne or severe seborrhea. More than 80% of patients were found to have subjective symptoms, including pain and itching which were most frequent. The degree of seborrhea was higher and the aggravation after sun exposure was more frequent in the group where complete remission of acne had not been achieved. Aggravation of acne was most frequent in summer, followed by winter. CONCLUSION: We could investigate the epidemiological and clinical features of acne patients, including the age of onset, motive of treatment, subjective symptoms, plus outcome of treatment according to remission history of acne, as these factors have never been reported in the Korean literature before.
Acne Vulgaris* ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age of Onset ; Cheek ; Demography ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Seoul* ; Skin ; Social Problems ; Solar System

BACKGROUND: The incidence of skin diseases in the university hospital may not truely indicate their province in the population, nevertheless it offers the only available source of information.Objective and Method: To study the prevalence of common dermatoses and compare this with previous reports, we reviewed 20, 000 new outpatients who visited the Department of Dermatology at Wonju Christian Hospital from 2000 to 2004, and have statistically analyzed the findings. RESULTS: The study results are summarized as follows: 1. Of the 20, 000 outpatients, the total number of male patients was 9, 871 (49.4%), and the numbers of female patients was 10, 129 (50.6%). 2. As for age distribution, the most frequent age group was the first decade (15.3%), fifth decade (15.1%), fourth decade (13.9%) and sixth decade (13.7%), comprising 58% of the total outpatients. 3. The 19 most common dermatoses were found to be dermatophytosis, atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, other eczema, urticaria, alopecia, herpes zoster, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, bacterial infection, pruritus, drug eruption, vitiligo, acne, verruca, irritant contact dermatitis, benign epidermal tumors, nevocellular nevus and hyperpigmentary disorders. 4. Those dermatoses which showed a decreasing tendency to be treated by medicine included allergic contact dermatitis, other eczema, bacterial infections, acne, and irritant contact dermatitis. An increasing tendency was noted in dermatophytosis, urticaria, alopecia, herpes zoster, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, drug eruption, vitiligo, verruca, benign epidermal tumors and nevocellular nevus. There was no significant annual difference in incidences of hyperpigmentory disorders compared to atopic dermatitis. 5. Diseases with high seasonal distribution in summer were dermatophytosis and verruca. However, atopic dermatitis, alopecia, herpes zoster and pruritus showed high incidence in the winter period. Acne showed a peak incidence in both summer and winter. 6. As for gender distribution, dermatophytosis, alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, bacterial infection and vitiligo showed a high frequency in males, whereas allergic contact dermatitis, urticaria, herpes zoster, psoriasis, pruritus, drug eruption, acne, epidermal benign tumors, nevocellular nevus and hyperpigmentary disorders showed a high freguency in female. 7. In age distribution, atopic dermatitis, bacterial infection, vitiligo, verruca and nevocellular nevus were found to be the most frequent in the first decade, and acne and alopecia in the second decade. Urticaria and psoriasis were most frequent in the third decade; dermatophytoses, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis and hyperpigmentary disorders in the fifth decade; other eczema, seborrheic dermatitis and pruritus in the sixth decade; herpes zoster and drug eruption in the seventh decade; and epidermal benign tumors in the eighth decade. 8. In the distribution of dermatoses as disease groups, eczema (25.5%), diseases of the skin appendages (10.8%), dermatophytosis (10.0%), erythema, urticaria and drug eruption(10.2%), viral infections (8.4%), papulosquamous disease (4.1%), and pruritus and neurocutaneous disease (3.9%) constituted 72.5% of the total. CONCLUSION: The distribution of skin disease in our hospital was similar to studies wnducted in other provinces. Comparing the alone results with earlier studies carried out in the same area by Lee (3), Won (2) and Song (1), there was a relatively low incidence of dermatoses caused by animal parasites. However, a predominently high incidence of age related dermatoses was found.
Acne Vulgaris ; Age Distribution ; Alopecia ; Animals ; Bacterial Infections ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatology ; Drug Eruptions ; Eczema ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Music ; Nevus ; Outpatients ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis ; Seasons ; Skin ; Skin Diseases* ; Statistics as Topic* ; Tinea ; Urticaria ; Vitiligo ; Warts

BACKGROUND: Occurrence of dermatoses are influenced by various environmental factors in the area people live. Jeonbuk province, as well as other parts of Korea, has developed industrially for the past three decades. Until now, no statistical survey on dermatoses in Jeonbuk province has been made. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence and trend of dermatoses by patients' age and time in Jeonbuk province over last 30 years. METHODS: The survey was conducted via the medical records of 55, 335 patients seen in Chonbuk National University Hospital from 1979 to 2002. RESULTS: The study results are summarized as follows: 1. Among the 55, 335 new patients (male 47.2%, female 52.8%), the 15 most common dermatoses were as follows (in order of frequency): dermatophytosis (7.8%), urticaria (7.7%), acne (5.2%), atopic dermatitis (4.9%), alopecia (4.4%), seborrheic dermatitis (4.3%), herpes zoster (4.0%), other eczema (3.9%), vitiligo (3.8%), psoriasis (2.6%), pruritus (2.5%), benign epidermal tumor (2.4%), verruca (2.2%), allergic contact dermatitis (1.7%), and irritant contact dermatitis (1.5%). These comprise 58.9% of the total outpatients. 2. The incidences of atopic dermatitis, alopecia, vitiligo and benign epidermal tumor had increase d (about 5 times), while dermatophytosis and urticaria had decreased (about 0.64 times) during the period. 3. The most frequent dermatoses during the summer season were dermatophytosis and vitiligo. In winter season, they were acne, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, benign epidermal tumor and verruca. 4. The occurrence of scabies decreased rapidly from the early 90's and remained at a decreased level. Leprosy and tuberculosis had often occurred during the 80's and then became rare from the 90's. 5. The distribution of patients' age was as follows: The 3rd decade (22.0%), 2nd decade (15.8%), 1st decade (15.5%), 4th decade (14.7%), 5th decade (12.0%), 6th decade (10.3%), 7th decade (2.6%), 8th and above (0.4%). 6. Atopic dermatitis was found to be the most frequent dermatosis in the 1st decade. Vitiligo, benign epidermal tumor, and verruca were the most frequent in the 2nd decade, and urticaria, acne, alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis in the 3rd decade. Herpes zoster and pruritus were the most frequent in the 6th and 7th decade. CONCLUSION: From medical records between 1979 and 2002, we surveyed kinds, prevalence rates and trends of dermatoses in the Jeonbuk Province. During this period we observed changes in the incidence of the dermatoses with years and seasons. We also found that prevalence rates of the dermatoses were influenced by the time, environment and living conditions of the patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey on the occurrence of dermatoses Jeonbuk Province of Korea.
Acne Vulgaris ; Alopecia ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Eczema ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Korea ; Leprosy ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis ; Scabies ; Seasons ; Skin Diseases* ; Social Conditions ; Statistics as Topic* ; Tinea ; Tuberculosis ; Urticaria ; Vitiligo ; Warts

BACKGROUND: A good acne grading system should reflect epidemiological and clinical features of a particular patient group. Current Korean acne grading systems are mostly based on the skin colors, epidemiology, and clinical features of Western countries, which make them less than being ideal for Korean acne patients. OBJECTIVE: We tried to devise an acne grading system based on clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Korean acne patients. This system is intended for use in primary care setting as well as in research purposes. METHODS: In the formulation of a new acne grading system, a panel of 5 dermatologists from 5 referral centers took into account the degree of complexity of the system, criteria for severity as well as skin colors through the review of clinical photographs of 250 acne patients. The new grading system then underwent inter-rater and intra-rater discrepancy assessment and simulation with 149 patient photos to find out an optimal epidemiological representation. RESULTS: We developed 6-scale grading system with both standard pictures and ranges of number of lesions as criteria. Intra-rater and inter-rater reproducibility turned out to be moderate to strong, suggesting clear instruction and easy performance. Simulation with 4 different models yielded best parameter ranges for the optimal criteria. CONCLUSIONS: With the feedback from the large-scale field applications, this new acne grading system will serve as a multipurpose acne grading system for Korean patients.
Acne Vulgaris* ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Primary Health Care ; Referral and Consultation ; Skin