I’m a, well, I don’t want to say “sufferer” or “victim” because that sounds way too serious for a condition that in the great scheme of things is pretty mild. But I have Rosacea. (I think. Dermatologists alternately diagnose me with “Rosacea” or “Seborrheic (sp?) dermatitis” depending on the phase of the moon. )
A breakthrough in the understanding of the cause of Rosacea is being widely reported today. Example:
My question to medical dopers: how soon are we likely to have a treatment for the condition? Do we already have approved or (what’s that term?) “off-use” drugs that can help?
I’ve been taking daily tetracycline for years, which seems to keep it under control, but I’d love to be able to stop. Of course, the “new” treatment might have more serious side effects than tetracycline.
I haven’t reviewed the research paper, but in the normal scheme of things the work would need to be replicated (and in vivo studies done in some animal a bit closer to humans than mice). A specific agent to inhibit these peptides would then have to be developed, tested, and ultimately (if promising) used in human clinical trials.
There could be a short-cut if current antiinflammatory or antibiotic drugs can be tested for specific activity against these peptides. But most probably we’re talking a number of years before effective new drugs are on the market.
And yes, side effects could be a problem, as these causative proteins appear to play a role in human health as well as disease.
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