The Relationship Between Rosacea and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Rosacea and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are chronic inflammatory disorders of the skin and the gut, which are interfaces between the environment and the human body. Although growing evidence has implicated a possible link between rosacea and IBD, it remains unclear whether IBD increases the risk of rosacea and vice versa. Therefore, we investigated the association between rosacea and IBD in this study. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Eight eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, the prevalence of rosacea was higher in the IBD group than in the control group, with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.86 (95% confidence interval [CI](1), 1.52–2.26). Both the Crohn’s disease and the ulcerative colitis groups had higher prevalences of rosacea than the control group, with ORs of 1.74 (95% CI 1.34–2.28) and 2.00 (95% CI 1.63–2.45), respectively. Compared with those in the control group, the risks of IBD, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis were significantly higher in the rosacea group, with incidence rate ratios of 1.37 (95% CI 1.22–1.53), 1.60 (95% CI 1.33–1.92), and 1.26 (95% CI 1.09–1.45), respectively. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that IBD is bidirectionally associated with rosacea. Future interdisciplinary studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of interaction between rosacea and IBD.