USA: Recent data showed increased odds of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in rosacea patients compared to controls. Recognizing the association would be helpful to provide counseling on interventions that simultaneously reduce exacerbating factors of both conditions.
The findings were presented at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Association Annual Meeting.
Rosacea is a common skin condition that causes facial redness due to dilated superficial capillaries and red papules and pustules. Rosacea is shown to have systemic comorbid conditions, particularly those regarding the gastrointestinal system. Previous data demonstrating the association between Rosacea and GERD have been inconclusive. Matthew Helm, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Penn State Health, and colleagues aimed to assess this via a systematic review & meta-analysis.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a systemic search using the PRISMA guidelines to search sex online databases for eligible studies. Additional data were extracted from the National Ambulatory Surgical Sample 2016-2018 (NASS), the IBM Marketscan 2016-2018, and TriNetX 2006-2021 as an additive analysis using ICD-10 coding. To decrease heterogeneity between the studies, all data were then pooled using the random-effects model.

Following were the study's key findings:
· The search strategy identified 4 studies.
· Then original data from NASS, IBM Marketscan, and TriNetX was included for a sum of 7 studies used in the meta-analysis.
· Pooled analysis revealed a statistically significant association between Rosacea and GERD overall (OR=1.67).
· A leave-1-out sensitivity analysis corroborated the same findings.
To conclude, the odds of GERD are increased in patients with Rosacea when compared to controls. Recognition of this association can help in providing counseling on interventions that simultaneously mitigate exacerbating factors of both conditions.
Reference:
Association between Rosacea & Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. Authors: Rahul Raiker, BS, Joshua Horeczko, BS, Haig Pakhchanian, BS, Kevin Phan, MD, Steve Maczuga, MS, and Matthew Helm, MD. Presentation: Friday, March 25 6:35 PM - Poster Presentation Center 2. Poster ID: 35402