Does Rosacea, a localized skin disease, affect the choroidal thickness?

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Rosacea is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition.
• Potential systemic manifestations of rosacea are of clinical interest.
• Choroidal thickness (CT) is a key indicator of ocular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare choroidal thickness (CT) in patients diagnosed with rosacea versus healthy controls.
• To determine if rosacea, a common dermatological condition, is associated with alterations in ocular parameters like CT.

Main Methods:

• Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was utilized for precise CT measurements.
• Study included 42 patients with Papulopustular Rosacea (PPR), 38 with Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea (ETR), and 37 age/gender-matched healthy controls.
• CT was measured at the subfoveal region, 1000 μm nasal, and 1000 μm temporal to the fovea.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in mean choroidal thickness were observed across the PPR, ETR, and control groups at any measured location (p > 0.05).
• Subfoveal CT: PPR (352 ± 78 μm), ETR (331 ± 67 μm), Control (346 ± 83 μm).
• Parafoveal CT (1000 μm nasal/temporal): Similar non-significant findings across all groups.

Conclusions:

• Despite rosacea's potential for systemic involvement, this study indicates it does not significantly affect choroidal thickness.
• Choroidal thickness is likely not a relevant biomarker for detecting or monitoring systemic effects of rosacea.