Evaluation of Helicobacter pylori and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Subjects With Rosacea

Of 27 subjects, 14.8% (N=4) tested positive for <i>H. pylori</i> and 33.3% (N=9) tested positive for SIBO. Compared to the general population prevalence, the proportion of <i>H. pylori</i> in the rosacea cohort was significantly less (p=0.02). Though the estimated population prevalence of SIBO had a wider range, compared to midrange, the prevalence of SIBO in the rosacea cohort was greater (p<0.001). There were no significant associations between demographics, rosacea characteristics, or GI symptoms and <i>H. pylori</i> or SIBO positivity. Conclusion: When eliminating several potential confounders, SIBO is more prevalent in subjects with rosacea compared to the general population. Thus, SIBO may be associated with rosacea, though it remains incompletely understood whether SIBO itself contributes to rosacea pathophysiology or rather SIBO prevalence and rosacea are both downstream effects of abnormalities in systemic immunity. Future studies are warranted to elucidate this relationship further, though this observed association may be promising for novel therapeutic targets in rosacea treatment.