FROM JAMA DERMATOLOGY
A twins study evaluating the influence of genetic factors on rosacea development found a higher association of National Rosacea Society (NRS) scores between identical twins than between fraternal twins, and calculated the genetic contribution to the NRS score to be 46%, according to the investigators.
Dr. Nely Aldrich of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and her associates gathered responses to a questionnaire administered to 550 individual twins at the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, in August 2012 and August 2013. Among the 275 twin pairs, there were 233 identical twin pairs whose mean rosacea score was 2.46 and 42 fraternal twin pairs whose mean rosacea score was 0.75. The study was published in JAMA Dermatology.
An analysis of comorbidities revealed statistically significant correlations between NRS scores with age, UV radiation exposure, body mass index, skin cancer comorbidity, and cardiovascular comorbidity. Weaker associations were found between years of smoking and alcohol consumption, while no correlation was found with eczema comorbidity, acne comorbidity, or physical activity level.
“We found that approximately half of the contribution to the NRS score could be accounted for by genetics and the other half by environment. … These findings may help improve current management and expectations of individuals affected by rosacea,” the investigators wrote.
Read the full article here: JAMA Dermatol. 2015. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.2230 .
