Association of Rosacea with Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: A General Population Study

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The association between rosacea and psychiatric comorbidity has been reported previously. However, there is a lack of general population studies about this subject area. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The aim of this study was to the association between rosacea with depressive and anxiety symptoms at the population level. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A clinical whole-body examination was performed by dermatologists for 1,932 subjects belonging to the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study during the 46-year follow-up survey. The presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was gathered by using validated Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) included in the self-administered questionnaires. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between rosacea and psychological symptoms. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Rosacea was found in dermatological evaluation in 15.1% of the study subjects (<i>n</i> = 292). In logistic regression analyses, after adjusting for confounding factors, those with rosacea had 1.6-fold (OR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.02–2.32) risk for psychiatric symptoms according to HSCL-25 when compared with controls. In separate analyses of the HSCL-25 depression subscale, the risk was increased, especially for depressive symptoms (OR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.10–2.18). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Patients with rosacea seem to have increased risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms in general population. Physicians treating patients with rosacea should pay more attention to the psychosocial health of patients.