Relationships of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, human β-defencin-2 and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels with disease severity in acne patients

Objective To investigate the correlations of levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D25(OH) D, human β-defencin-2 (HBD-2) and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1) in peripheral blood with disease severity of acne patients.

Methods A total of 128 patients with acne vulgaris were included in the acne group and 128 healthy subjects were included in the control group. The levels of 25(OH) D, HBD-2 and IGF-1 in peripheral blood of two groups were detected. The relationships between the levels of 25(OH) D, HBD-2, IGF-1 in peripheral blood and the disease severity of acne patients were analyzed. The relationships between 25(OH) D, HBD-2 and IGF-1 levels in peripheral blood of acne patients were analyzed. The diagnostic value of 25(OH) D, HBD-2 and IGF-1 levels in severe acne was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results The level of 25(OH) D in peripheral blood of the acne group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the level of IGF-1 was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in HBD-2 levels between the two groups (P>0.05). In the acne group, with the aggravation of disease severity, the level of 25(OH) D in peripheral blood was significantly decreased, and the level of IGF-1 was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The level of 25(OH) D in peripheral blood of acne patients was negatively correlated with the level of IGF-1 and the severity of the disease (r=-0.509, -0.586, P < 0.05), and the level of IGF-1 was positively correlated with the severity of the disease (r=0.547, P < 0.05). HBD-2 level was not correlated with 25(OH) D, IGF-1 level and disease severity (P>0.05). The sensitivity of peripheral blood 25(OH) D level and IGF-1 level in evaluating severity acne was 94.12%, 61.26%, respectively, and the specificity was 70.59%, 77.48%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of combined evaluation of severe acne were 90.91% and 71.43%, respectively.

Conclusion The level of 25(OH) D is decreased and the level of IGF-1 is increased in patients with acne, which is related to the severity of the disease. The combination of 25(OH) D and IGF-1 levels has a better efficacy in evaluating severity acne.