Evaluation of cardiovascular risk in people with rosacea: A prospective study

Systemic inflammation is accepted as a nontraditional cardiovascular risk factor and has been shown to play a role in all stages of atherosclerosis. Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory\rskin disease. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk in rosacea patients. 40 people with rosacea (30 women, 10 men) and a control group of\r40 age- and sex-matched individuals (28 women, 12 men) who had no chronic inflammatory skin disease were included in the study. Participants' body mass index (BMI)\rwas calculated and their blood pressure was measured. Fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin, lipid profile, hemogram, basic biochemical parameters, erythrocyte\rsedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels were analyzed after at least 8 hours of fasting. In all participants, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured\rusing high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography (with a 4 MHz linear transducer. The mean CIMT values were 0.62 (0.18) mm in the rosacea group and 0.50 (0.14) mm in\rthe control group. Statistical comparison indicated that mean CIMT was significantly greater in the patients with rosacea compared to the control group (p=0.001). There\rwas no significant difference between the rosacea and control groups in terms of mean height, weight, BMI, or systolic and diastolic blood pressures (p>0.05). People with\rrosacea should be monitored periodically in terms of cardiovascular disease risk.