Ocular rosacea and treatment of symptomatic Helicobacter pylori infection: a case series

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by recurrent episodes of facial flushing, erythema, papules, pustules, and telangiectasia. More than half of all rosacea patients may have ocular symptoms. Rosacea is associated with certain digestive diseases, such as gastritis, hypochlorhydria, or a number of jejunal mucosal abnormalities, and many patients have Helicobacter pylori infection. The role of Helicobacter pylori has often been a subject of investigation; these studies show conflicting results. Here we present results of the effects of treatment given for H. pylori eradication in seven patients with ocular rosacea that, at the same time, had clinical and serological evidence of H. pylori infection. Six weeks after completion of the treatment, all patients experienced improvement of their rosacea symptoms. Ocular disease responded better than cutaneous rosacea.