• Recep Dokuyucu, Ozlem Aycan Kaya, Erkan Yula, Ihsan Ustun, Fahri Bayram, and Cumali Gokce.
• Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey. drecepfatih@gmail.com.
• Arch Iran Med. 2016 Mar 1; 19 (3): 210-4.

BackgroundThis study aimed to detect the presence of the parasite Demodex folliculorum (DF) in various obese groups according to BMI Levels.Materials And MethodsA total of 182 patients (40.8 ± 14.8 years, min-max age 19 - 73 years) were enrolled in the study, of those 65 (35.7%) were female and 117 (64.3%) were male. They had previously applied to Mustafa Kemal University (Faculty of Medicine, Endocrine Outpatient Clinic) during 2012. A standardized skin surface biopsy method was used to research the existence of DF. Patients were classified into four main groups, including: obese (n = 89), overweight (n = 31), normal (n = 32), and underweight (n = 30).ResultsThere was no significant difference between groups in terms of age and sex. The total DF positivity was 19 (21.3%) in obese patients. Among those with positive DF, the mean BMI was 35.7 ± 12.1 kg/m(2), while those with negative DF had a mean BMI of 29.2 ± 9.2 kg/m(2). There was a significant difference between two groups (P = 0.002). Also, the underweight group has significantly higher DF positivity in comparison to the normal weight group.ConclusionThe DF positivity was significantly higher in obese patients in accordance with the physiopathologic nature of the disease.

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