Plasma androgens in women affected by acne vulgaris

It is well known that many patients affected by acne present an ovarian, adrenal or peripheral hyperandrogenism, but laboratory tests do not always show endocrine diseases. We have studied a group of 100 female patients affected by acne by means of an endocrine screening including the following hormonal tests: testosterone, free testosterone, DHT, 3 α-androstanediol, δ 4-androstenedione, DEAS, 17α OH-progesterone, SHBG, RIA LH, BIO LH and BIO/RIA LH ratio. We found hormonal alterations in 91% of cases, especially an increase of 3 α-androstanediol (50%), of BIO/RIA LH ratio (43%) and testosterone (25%). These results demonstrate that many cases of acne could be related to a particular endocrine alteration and could also be useful in the choice of a suitable therapy