Rosacea tied to physical and psychological comorbidities

Rosacea is significantly associated with a range of comorbidities including depression, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, according to a review of 29 studies.

The recognition of rosacea as an inflammatory condition similar to psoriasis suggests that, as with psoriasis, rosacea may be associated with a range of systemic diseases, but data on such an association are limited, wrote Roger Haber, MD, from the department of dermatology at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

^Rosacea.org

“To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first review analyzing available data regarding the diseases associated with rosacea,” they said.

[embed:render:related:node:108019]

Overall, the most common comorbidities associated with rosacea were depression (reported in 117,848 patients), hypertension (18,176 patients), cardiovascular disease (9,739 patients), anxiety disorder (9,079 patients), dyslipidemia (7,004 patients), diabetes mellitus (6,306 patients), and migraine (6,136 patients). All associations were statistically significant.

Psychological problems significantly associated with rosacea include depression and anxiety, which may be related to similar inflammatory pathways among these conditions, the researchers noted.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors significantly associated with rosacea included coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. The association with coronary artery disease remained significant after adjusting for multiple variables, as has been shown with psoriasis, which supports consideration of rosacea as an independent risk factor for CAD, the researchers said.