Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Recent study showed that patients with acromegaly have typical skin findings including increased sebum secretion, decreased transepidermal water loss, more alkaline, and colder skin surface correlated with serum GH and IGF1 levels.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of functional skin changes on the skin flora in patients with acromegaly.

Methods and designs: This case–control study was conducted in university hospitals in Mersin, Turkey, study consisted of 30 acromegalic patients and 60 healty adults who had no previously diagnosed chronic illness as a control group.

A total of 90 volunteers were enrolled in a cohort; nasal and axillar cultures were obtanied. Axillar and nasal specimens from anterior nares of the individuals were taken using sterile swabs.

Results: Nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus was 13.3% in acromegalic patients, but 43.4% in control group this differences was statistically significant (P=0.004). Patients and control group compared according to axillar and nasal cultures, we determined proteus colonisation 16.7% in patients with acromegaly but no proteus colonisation in control group. This result was statistically significant (P=0.001). Proteus colonization was negatively corellated only with disease duration in acromegalic patients (P=0.017).

Conclusion: Normally, very little water is present on the skin surface and skin forms an acid mantle. But acromegaly associated with increased sebum secretion, decreased transepidermal water loss, more alkaline, and colder skin surface. Skin colonization by proteus may be due to increased skin alkaline mantle in acromegaly.