Topical treatment response in rosacea patients: A single center experience

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Rosacea is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease of the face. It classically presents with a wide clinical spectrum consisting of transient/permanent erythema, telangiectasia, papule/pustule, edema, phymatous changes, ocular symptoms, and variable symptoms such as flushing, pain, burning, and dryness. There are many topical and systemic treatment options currently indicated. The aim of this study is to comparatively evaluate topical treatment options in terms of effectiveness and clinical outcomes. METHOD: Our study is a retrospective study based on the recorded file information of 99 patients diagnosed with rosacea at the Dermatology outpatient clinics of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital. These patients were given three different topical treatments: Dapsone 7,5% + permethrin 5% combined, separately permethrin and metronidazole. With the evaluations made at 0-8-12 weeks, IGA, VAS, presence of demodex and side effect data were examined and evaluated to compare treatment options. RESULTS: Looking at the VAS data between all 3 treatment groups, there was a significant decrease in the dapsone 7,5% + permethrin and metronidazole groups at 0-8-12 weeks, and a significant decrease was observed in the permethrin group at 0-8 weeks, but did not reach a significant level between 8-12 weeks. The fastest effect in the first 8-week VAS response was seen in the dapsone 7,5% + permethrin group. In the IGA data, while there was a significant decrease between 0-8-12 weeks in the dapsone 7,5% + permethrin group, a statistically insignificant difference was detected between 0-8 weeks in the metronidazole group, and a significant difference was detected in 8-12 weeks. While there was a statistically significant decrease in the permethrin group at 0-8 weeks, there was a difference that did not reach a significant level at 8-12 weeks. According to the IGA score, the best response was obtained from the dapsone 7,5% + permethrin group. The group with the lowest frequency of side effects was the group consisting of metronidazole users. CONCLUSION: Rosacea disease is a chronic disease that negatively affects the quality of life. It is important to determine the clinical subtypes and disease severity of these patients, and it is important that they avoid stimulant agents and receive the correct treatment. It was observed that all 3 treatment regimens given in our study (dapsone + permethrin, permethrin and metronidazole) significantly reduced the VAS and IGA scores of the patients. Keywords: Dapsone, metronidazole, permethrin, rosacea, topical.