Rosacea

It is unknown as to what causes rosacea. By studying rosacea, scientists have found some important clues:

• It is possible that people inherit genes for rosacea since rosacea runs in families.
• The immune system could play a role since most people with acne-like rosacea react to a bacterium called bacillus oleronius.
• A bug that causes infections in the intestines, H pylori, is common in people who have rosacea. Scientists have not been able to prove that H pylori actually can cause rosacea.
• A mite that lives on everyone’s skin, demodex, lives on the nose and cheeks, and this is where rosacea often appears.
• A protein that normally protects the skin from infection, cathelicidin, may cause redness and swelling. How the body processes this protein may determine whether a person gets rosacea.