Analysis of Association Between Keloids and Other Medical Conditions

BACKGROUND: Keloids are an exaggerated response to cutaneous wound healing. Keloids negatively affect patients' quality of life and there is no 100% effective treatment to prevent occurrence or recurrence. Previous results from the Genetic Causes of Keloid Formation Study (GCKFS), an IRB-approved keloid registry, showed that hypertension and obesity may be more prevalent in African-Americans with keloids versus the general African-American population. This suggests that there are possible common mechanisms between keloids and these comorbidities. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess for an association between hypertension and/or obesity with keloid-affected patients, and to evaluate various subcategories of keloid-affected patients. METHODS: Seventy-nine GCKFS participants with diagnosed keloids were matched to controls from the Dallas Heart Study (at a 1 GCKFS:7 DHS ratio). Participants were categorized into hypertensive and obese cohorts using objective recorded measurements and calculations made using Fisher's exact test (significance P < 0.05). Sub-analyses were assessed among the GCKFS cohort using number of keloids, location, and number of anatomic sites involved. RESULTS: There were 504 total keloids distributed among six designated anatomical sites (ears, neck up, extremities, trunk, abdomen, other). Thirty (37.97%) GCKFS participants were hypertensive, and thirty-six (45.57%) were obese. The GCKFS participants showed an association with hypertension (p=0.045) but not with obesity (p=0.903). On subanalyses, keloid-affected individuals under age 30 had a higher prevalence of hypertension (p=0.042) and participants with multiple keloid sites had a higher prevalence of obesity (p=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with hypertensive associations with keloids found in the literature. Data collection will continue by increasing the GCKFS cohort to determine if the trending data will reach statistical significance. Further research is encouraged to delve into the mechanisms between the association between hypertension and/or obesity and keloids.