The Relationship Between Acne and Cognitive Function in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Healthy Women

Acne, the most common skin disease in polycystic ovarian syndrome, has a prevalence of 83 percent. It is often associated with psychological distress, depression, and anxiety disorders that may impair cognitive functions such as memory, attention, psychomotor speed, and executive functions.The aim of this study was to investigate levels of acne in this group of women and its association with cognitive function, compared to that in healthy women.
The aim of this study was to investigate levels of acne in this group of women and its association with cognitive function, compared to that in healthy women.
In this Case-control study, 45 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, diagnosed based on Rotterdam criteria, and 45 healthy women as control group were selected. Acne levels of the participants were evaluated by Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Also, cognitive functions were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive assessment (MoCA).
The average (± SD) acne score in patients was 11.73± 6.87 and in control group was 8.42±6.27, p-value=0.01, which was statistically significant. Also, the difference between the average cognitive function scores in patients (22.68±3.57) and control group (24.71 ± 2.57) was statistically significant (p-value=0.003). However, no significant relationship was found between cognitive function and levels of acne(r=-0.14, P=0.17).
The prevalence of acne in patients with PCOS is more than that in normal counterparts. Also, the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment was higher among patients. No relationship was observed between acne level and cognitive impairment in our PCOS study group. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.