Acne vulgaris is a highly heritable and common skin disorder. Acne lesions primarily impact facial skin and severely inflamed lesions may leave permanent scars that have been associated with long-term psychosocial consequences. Individuals with severe acne have been reported to have elevated rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and other mental health disorders. Nonetheless, the shared biology between these disorders and the direction of causality remains unclear. We used summary statistics from the largest available genome-wide association studies to date, to examine the genetic overlap between acne and seven mental health disorders. Next, we applied Generalised Summary-data-based Mendelian Randomisation to test for evidence of possible causal relationships between acne and each mental disorder. Increased risk of acne was significantly genetically correlated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – with the largest genetic correlation occurring with bipolar disorder (rg = 0.18; P=6.7e-05) – and an acne genetic risk score significantly predicted a reported history of depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder (P<0.001). We also observed a causal relationship between increased risk of acne and increased risk of depression (OR=1.04 [95% CI 1.02-1.07]). Here, we show evidence of shared genetic pathways that jointly influence risk for acne and several mental health disorders, suggesting that the co-morbidity between these disorders may be genetically mediated, and provide evidence of the direction of causation. Future work will consist of further interrogation of these results, particularly through the exploration of regional genomic overlap and underlying pathway analysis. These results provide novel insight into the relationships and underlying mechanisms between acne and mental health disorders which may improve our ability to diagnose, prevent or manage such conditions.

ESDR306 - Exploring the relationship between acne and mental health

The scientific meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) is held yearly, usually in September. With an international attendance of more than 1000 skin scientists from around the globe, the four-day event includes short oral presentations from peer-reviewed abstracts, keynote lectures from international experts, sponsored symposia, satellite programs, educational events as well as an important focus on posters, networking and building collaborations amongst scientists. For more information about this year’s meeting visit our website.