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So you have heard something about the new phenotype approach to treating roscea. Doctors are hoping that this new approach will lead to better treatment outcomes for all rosacea sufferers.
Find out what here you need to know about rosacea phenotypes, and also how you can use a simple report card to work together with your doctor to beat rosacea.
Rosacea phenotypes are happening now
The way we have been talking about rosacea and treating the symptoms is going through an official transformation. The transformation is official because it is being driven by the doctors who treat rosacea, and are updating the accepted rosacea describing methodology that was introduced in 2002.
Using this new approach when describing rosacea is said to lead to improved care for rosacea patients. What is this new approach and how can you benefit from using it?
What is a rosacea phenotype?
This transformation is all about emphasising referring to the `phenotypes’ of rosacea, no longer refering to rosacea subtypes. So rosacea subtypes are dead, long live rosacea phenotypes.
This paper is suggesting the improvements in treating rosacea will result from this new way of describing the condition we know as rosacea. Accurately documenting the type and severity of your rosacea symptoms is what the phenotype approach is all about.
Your Doctor is your friend
By way of supporting this suggestion the authors have offered a checklist that you can use with your doctor to describe and track the severity of your rosacea symptoms. The checklist describes the rosacea phenotypes under the following categories;
Diagnostic Features
- Persistent centrofacial erythema
- Phyma – inflammatory
- Phyma – non-inflammatory
Major Features
- Transient centrofacial erythema
- Inflammatory papules/pustules
- Telangiectasia
- Ocular manifestations
Minor Features
- Burning/stinging sensation
- Oedema
- Dry sensation/appearance
- Other
Severity Scale
Each of the symptoms are graded on a range of 0-4:
- 0. Clear/none
- 1. Almost clear/minimal
- 2. Mild
- 3. Moderate
- 4. Severe
As you visit your doctor you can document the progress of your symptoms over time using a shared understanding of how to describe rosacea.
Download your Rosacea Report Card
Thanks to the authors of this paper you can download a copy of the report card here – Rosacea-Phenotypes-Checklist [PDF] print it out and keep it with you in the coming months and years.
Article Abstract
Applying the phenotype approach for rosacea to practice and research
Br J Dermatol. 2018 May 25., J. Tan, M. Berg, R.L. Gallo, J.Q. Del Rosso
Background: Rosacea diagnosis and classification have evolved since the 2002 National Rosacea Society (NRS) expert panel subtype approach. Several working groups are now aligned to a more patient‐centric phenotype approach, based on an individual’s presenting signs and symptoms.
However, subtyping is still commonplace across the field and an integrated approach is required to ensure widespread progression to the phenotype approach.
Objectives: To provide practical recommendations that facilitate adoption of a phenotype approach across the rosacea field.
Results: Through a review of the literature and consolidation of rosacea expert experience, we identify challenges to implementing a phenotype approach in rosacea and offer practical recommendations to overcome them across clinical practice, interventional research, epidemiological research and basic science.
Conclusions: These practical recommendations are intended to indicate the next steps in the progression from subtyping to a phenotyping approach in rosacea, with the goals of improving our understanding of the disease, facilitating treatment developments, and ultimately improving care for patients with rosacea.
