Acne prevalence in 9 to 14-year-old old patients attending pediatric ambulatory clinics in Italy

Background: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the pilosebaceous follicles that affects patients of all ages with a younger onset being more common than in the past. Objectives: To investigate on the prevalence, clinical features and treatments of acne in 9 to 14-year-old patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted between April 2016 and May 2016. The study population consisted of patients attending 32 different pediatric ambulatory clinics located in Italy (North: 56.25%, Center: 18.75%, South: 25%). For each patient, a specific questionnaire was registered: i) demographic data; ii) past personal history of acne; iii) auxologic parameters. Further data were gathered for patients suffering from acne at study enrollment: i) body areas involved by the disease; ii) acne severity evaluated through a 0-5 scale (Global Evaluation Acne scale); iii) acne treatments. Results: A total of 683 children (49.2% male; mean age 11.05 ± 1.4 years) were enrolled. Acne was present in 234/683 (34.3%) of the patients, and its prevalence increased with age being higher after 13 years of age (85/234; 36.3%) and lowest at 9 years of age (14/234; 6%). The majority of the patients suffering from acne showed a mild or almost clear disease state severity (GEA scale 1 or 2) (207/234, 88.5%), whereas severe or very severe forms (GEA scale 4 or 5) represented only 4/234, 1.7% of the cases. Conclusions: Acne is not a rare disease in pre-adolescent age. Adequate and prompt treatment is also needed in this class of patient to minimize disease burden and potential future disease worsening.