A statistically significant association exists between rosacea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (OR=1.67[1.50-2.02], p<.00001, I2=100%), a pooled meta-analysis of 4 published studies and 3 databases has revealed. These data are being presented at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting.

“Previous data showing the association between Rosacea and GERD have been inconclusive. Therefore the aim was to assess this via a systematic review & meta-analysis. Studies have shown Rosacea to have systemic comorbid conditions, especially those regarding the gastrointestinal system… Recognition of this association can help provide counseling on interventions that simultaneously mitigate exacerbating factors of both conditions,” wrote lead author Rahul Raiker, BS, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, and colleagues.

Researchers conducted a literature search of 6 online databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, for English language observational studies, combining the term ‘rosacea’ with multiple synonyms of the term ‘gastroesophageal reflux disease’ as key words. Researchers used the guidelines described in Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) in conducting the internet search.

The search identified 4 studies. Subsequently, the scientists used ICD-10 codes to extract original data from the National Ambulatory Surgical Sample 2016-2018, IBM Marketscan, and TriNetX databases to include in the meta-analysis. Data was then pooled using the random effects model to achieve accurate OR’s and 95% CI that account for heterogeneity in data. The final database included 754,053 subjects with rosacea.

The association between rosacea and GERD was corroborated by a leave-1-out sensitivity analysis.

Reference
Raiker R, Horeczko J, Pakhchanian H, et al. Association between rosacea & gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): systematic review & meta-analysis. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting. March 25-29, 2022; Boston, MA.