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Stretch Marks during Pregnancy: Frequency and Risk Factors

Take Home Messages
Stretch Marks (SM) during Pregnancy appear in 74.6% of Women in Singapore.
Ethnicity as a Risk factor: Women of Indian and Malay genetic backgrounds have a tendency to develop more and severe SM (Study from Singapore)

Comments
Skin Color appears to be a risk factor the higher is gets; however the results of this study are NOT statistically significant
-The severity in Indians and Malays can be attributed to their darker skin phototype. This is similar to other deficient scarring mechanisms such as keloids.
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Abstract
Background: Striae Gravidarum (SG) is a significant dermatological concern for many pregnant women. Prevalence and risk factors have yet to be fully elucidated in an Asian population.
Objectives: To estimate overall prevalence of SG in a multi-ethnic Asian population and identify risk factors associated with relative prevalence and severity of SG.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 220 postpartum women was conducted in the largest tertiary obstetrics and gynaecology hospital in Singapore from November 2014 to March 2015. Selected variables such as ethnicity, age, product usage and parity were assessed as potential risk factors for presence and severity of SG using univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses.
Results: We estimate that 74.6% of pregnant women in Singapore suffer from SG. Chinese women had lower risk of SG compared to women of Indian and Malay ethnic backgrounds (OR=2.61, p=0.012). Additionally, Chinese women had lower risk of moderate to severe SG compared to their Indian and Malay counterparts. (OR=2.33, p=0.006). Women who had Fitzpatrick V-VI skin types were at statistically significant greater risk of SG (p=0.0038) and of moderate to severe SG (p=0.00052) than those with Fitzpatrick III-IV. Nevertheless, stepwise multiple logistic regression identified ethnicity as the only independent risk factor associated with presence and severity of SG, among the variables investigated.
Conclusion: A majority of women in multi-ethnic Singapore have stretchmarks during pregnancy. Ethnicity was identified as an independent risk factor associated with presence and severity of SG.

Reference: Regional Congress of Dermatology (RCD) 2016 – Singapore. RCD16-0036 Free Papers 4 (Pigment, skin cancers, others) PREVALENCE OF STRIAE GRAVIDARUM IN A MULTI-ETHNIC ASIAN POPULATION AND THE ASSOCIATED RISK FACTOR L. Tang-lin1, H.M. Liew2, M. Koh2, J.A. Carson3, T.C. Tan1 1KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Singapore, Singapore 2KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Dermatology, Singapore, Singapore 3Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Singapore