Systematic review of rosacea treatments.

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a common chronic skin and ocular condition. It is unclear which treatments are most effective. We have conducted a Cochrane review of rosacea therapies. This article is a distillation of that work.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the evidence for the efficacy and safety of rosacea therapies.

METHODS: Multiple databases were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials in people with moderate to severe rosacea were included. Study selection, assessment of methodologic quality, data extraction, and analysis were carried out by two independent researchers.

RESULTS: In all, 29 studies met inclusion criteria. Topical metronidazole is more effective than placebo (odds ratio 5.96, 95% confidence interval 2.95-12.06). Azelaic acid is more effective than placebo (odds ratio 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.82-3.28). Firm conclusions could not be drawn about other therapies.

LIMITATIONS: The quality of the studies was generally poor.

CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that topical metronidazole and azelaic acid are effective. There is some evidence that oral metronidazole and tetracycline are effective. More well-designed, randomized controlled trials are required to provide better evidence of the efficacy and safety of other rosacea therapies.