Epidemiology of rosacea

Summary Rosacea is a common chronic skin condition usually localised in the central part of the face. It is characterised by areas of intermittent or persistent redness, small and superficial dilated blood vessels, small red spots and bumps and some people experience eye symptoms such as dryness, irritation and swollen red eyelids. Rosacea can affect both men and women of all ages, but is most common among fair‐skinned women over the age of 30. The global frequency of rosacea remains unknown, although it is a common condition associated with other diseases outside the skin. The aim of this study was to examine the worldwide frequency of rosacea. The authors did this by examining globally published literature from medical databases reporting the frequency of rosacea. They examined both the frequency in the general population as well as among dermatology outpatients to better understand the absolute burden of this condition. A total of 32 studies were included examining a total of 41 populations with 26 519 836 individuals. Twenty‐two populations were from Europe, 3 from Africa, 4 from Asia, 9 from North America, and 3 from South America. The authors found a frequency of rosacea of 5.46% in the general population and 2.39% among dermatology outpatients. The frequency of rosacea depended on the diagnostic method with higher estimates in questionnaire studies of rosacea symptoms and lower estimates in health registries (i.e. databases). Rosacea was found to affect both women and men equally, and mostly those aged 45–60 years.