Milan, April 22 (beraking latest news Salute) – April is the international month of rosacea, a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes redness, papules or pustules that are particularly impacting from a psychological point of view because they are visible on the face. It affects about 415 million people in the world and over 3 million in Italy, equal to about 7-8% of the adult population. Like any chronic disease, rosacea also needs periodic checks, but in the last year due to the Covid-19 emergency these visits have suffered sharp slowdowns. Furthermore, the mask, which is essential to protect oneself from contagion, risks worsening the symptoms of patients who are not adequately treated and monitored.
According to a survey conducted in Canada and Germany by Galderma, since the beginning of the pandemic only 33% of patients with rosacea – one in three – have gone to their doctor or dermatologist and only 8% have received a video consultation. The problem of skipped checks due to Covid does not spare Italy, as highlighted by the report ‘Equity of access to care and Covid-19’ of the Salutequità association: compared to 2019, in the period March-May 2020 there was a reduction of approximately 58% of the number of prescriptions for specialist services provided, and in the period January-June 2020 the reduction amounted to 13.3 million diagnostic tests and 9.6 million specialist visits.
“The health emergency has hit the population, the health system and patients suffering from chronic diseases hard – says Giuseppe Micali, director of the Section of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania – Unfortunately, rosacea patients fall into this category and it is important to underline how essential it is not to interrupt the periodic dermatological checks for the success of the treatment. It must not be forgotten that rosacea also has a strong impact on the psychological aspect of the patient, as its clinical manifestations can represent a reason for embarrassment . This is why a correct therapeutic adherence is even more necessary “.
Symptoms of rosacea, if neglected, can worsen and become persistent. For this reason, a personalized guide has been created for the visit with the dermatologist that patients can compile and download on the website www.faceafaceconlarosacea.it, created by Galderma. The portal – explains a note – guides users with a series of questions related to their signs and symptoms, the emotional impact of rosacea and the treatments used. Once the questionnaire is completed, a guide is generated for the personalized dermatological examination capable of facilitating an open doctor-patient dialogue.
The pandemic coronavirus has complicated the lives of people living with rosacea also due to the requirement of a mask, a fundamental anti-contagion measure. A recent Italian multicenter study, published in the ‘Dermatologic Therapy Journal’, analyzed the impact of its use for at least 6 hours a day in patients with rosacea and acne not being treated. In both cases, prolonged use of the device has been observed to worsen the symptoms of the disease, significantly affecting the quality of life. In particular, for rosacea a worsening of the disease was found after 6 weeks, detected both by the clinician and by the patient’s self-assessment, with a statistically significant decrease in the quality of life.
“This study has shown how the mask kept adherent on the face for the whole day, protective for Sars-CoV-2, is however harmful for inflammatory dermatoses of the face such as rosacea – comments Giovanni Damiani, research fellow at the university Statale di Milano and director of the Young Dermatologists Italian Network (Ydin) – The study followed 36 patients with rosacea during the first lockdown and monitored the progress of the disease evaluating them at time 0 and after 6 weeks. The results were unexpected, in how much the mask worsened the severity of rosacea by increasing the number of pustules and the intensity of the erythema. In other words, the mask amplified the inflammation of the skin of the patients examined. It is therefore crucial to consult your specialist even in a pandemic for close monitoring of rosacea, whether in person or in teledermatology “.