Q. Do a lot of people with rosacea also have problems with high blood pressure and anxiety? And, if blood pressure and anxiety are controlled, does rosacea improve?
A. High blood pressure may indeed occur in some rosacea patients. According to a recent study, 21 percent of 427 patients with rosacea also had high blood pressure.1 Doctors have also observed that certain medications for blood pressure may cause rosacea to worsen in certain cases, rather than improve it. If you have rosacea and have also been diagnosed with high blood pressure, be sure to discuss this with your doctor.
Regarding anxiety, emotional stress has been identified as a rosacea trigger in patient surveys, and learning to control this trigger may be helpful.
Q. I have a lot of allergies and was wondering if any research has been done to link allergies to rosacea flare-ups.
A. The National Rosacea Society (NRS) funded a recent study that found the bumps and pimples of rosacea may be the result of an allergy-like reaction to environmental and emotional triggers. This may provide an important basis for potential new rosacea therapies in the years ahead.2
Also, in an NRS survey of 837 rosacea patients, 32 percent of the respondents reported that their rosacea flared up when they experienced allergic reactions.
Associated References
- Gupta AK. A random survey concerning aspects of acne rosacea. Poster presentation, American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, February 22-27, 2002.
- Schauber J, Yamasaki K, Gallo RL, et al. Dysregulation of kallikrein expression in the epidermis: a cause of rosacea? Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2006; 126(supplement):42. Abstract 252.