Clinical indicators of rosacea progression: A topographic evaluation according to subtype and severity

Correspondence to: Dr. S Cho 20, Boramaero-5-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 07061, Korea In this study, 704 patients were analyzed and classified into four subtypes (erythematotelangiectatic (ETR), papulopustular (PPR), combined (ETR + PPR), phymatous (PHY)). The most common subtype was ETR (55.7%), followed by combined type (22.6%). The cheek was the most commonly affected site (89.9%), followed by the nose (56.5% ), glabella (37.8%), nasolabial fold (17.2%) and periorbital area (9.8%). The glabella was significantly more frequently affected in the combined type (69.2%) than in ETR (28.3%), regardless of severity. The response rate was significantly different between ETR and combined type (10.9% vs 26.0%). In Korean patients with rosacea, pure PPR is much less common than the combined subtype. Glabellar and nasal involvement can be an early marker of subtype transition from ETR to the combined subtype.