ABSTRACT
Objectives To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for some sebaceous glands diseases (seborrhoeic dermatitis, acne, seborrhoeic alopecia and rosacea) and their relation to gastrointestinal dysfunction in adolescents. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out for the epidemiologic information of sebaceous glands diseases from September to October 2001. A total of 4 600 youngsters aged from 12 to 20 years were recruited from 7 middle schools in Macau by random cluster sampling. The statistical software of SPSS 10.0 was used to analyze the data. Results The prevalence of seborrhoeic dermatitis, acne, seborrhoeic alopecia and rosacea was 2.7%, 45.5%, 1.6% and 0.7% respectively. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk factors of sebaceous glands diseases included age, gastrointestinal dysfunction, season (summer), spicy and fried food, a family history of acne and the presence of long hairs on areolae of breasts. Gastrointestinal dysfunction was correlated with the incidence rates of seborrhoeic dermatoses (P = 0.007, OR = 1.208, 95% C.I 1.053 ~ 1.385). Conclusion Gastrointestinal dysfunction is an important risk factor for diseases of the sebaceous glands and correlates with the occurrence and development of these diseases.