Rosacea is significantly associated with dementia, particularly Alzheimer disease (AD), a recent study found. Researchers evaluated a total of 5,591,718 participants (aged ≥18 years), including 82,439 patients with rosacea, from January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2012. Cox regression was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). They found:

• 99,040 individuals developed dementia (any form) in the study period; of these, 29,193 were diagnosed with AD.

• The adjusted HRs of dementia and AD were 1.07 and 1.25, respectively, in patients with rosacea.

• Stratified by sex, the HRs of AD were 1.28 and 1.16 in women and men, respectively.

• When results were stratified by age, the risk of AD was only significantly increased in persons ≥60 years old (adjusted HR=1.20).

• When analyses were limited to patients with a hospital dermatologist diagnosis of rosacea only, the adjusted HRs of dementia and AD were 1.42 and 1.92, respectively.

Citation: Egeberg A, Hansen PR, Gislason GH, Thyssen JP. Patients with rosacea have increased risk of dementia. [Published online ahead of print April 28, 2016]. Ann Neurol. doi:10.1002/ana.24645.