The Rosacea Tracker may aid clinical decision-making

The ROSCO panel developed a tracking tool to help clinicians continuously follow the disease developments of their rosacea patients that comprises clinical as well as quality-of life-features. This may contribute to facilitating the best possible individualised care.

In the wake of the change to a phenotype-based approach to rosacea, the Rosacea Consensus (ROSCO) group saw the need to develop a comprehensive longitudinal monitoring tool [1]. Taking care of patients suffering from this chronic disease involves long-term management with modifications in therapy whenever clinical features change. The new Rosacea Tracker is supposed to offer an option to document changes in rosacea disease features for physicians, as well as an option to record patient-reported clinical changes and influence on patients’ quality of life. Collecting this evidence could enable the physician to decide if and when altering the management is indicated.

The global 2019 ROSCO group comprises 19 dermatologists and 2 ophthalmologists. They used a modified Delphi method to answer various questions as a base for the Rosacea Tracker prototype. The participants received these questions via a blinded e-survey. Per definition, a consensus was reached if ≥75% of the participants responded to a question with ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’. As a result, the Rosacea Tracker consists of distinct sheets to be completed by the physician and by the patient. In addition, instructions on how to report on disease features were documented in separate user guides. The instructions and their presentation were rated ‘clear” by most of the panel members (18/21 and 17/21).

Physicians should assess severity of features in different grades: cutaneous with grade 0 (clear/none) to 4 (severe), ocular with grade 0 (clear/none) to 4 (severe: sclerokeratitis/anterior uveitis). The answers to questions on the impact of rosacea on the patient’s quality of life were also categorised in 4 steps: from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). Among the 10 cutaneous signs included in the physician’s sheet were: transient/persistent centrofacial edema, (non-)inflamed phyma, burning sensation, telangiectasia, and papules/pustules. The ocular sheet features 8 findings, including blepharitis, conjunctivitis, or dry/gritty/ foreign body sensation.

The authors anticipate the Rosacea Tracker to become a very helpful tool for clinical practice. As further validation and refinement is endorsed, a number of panel members will now introduce the Rosacea Tracker in their clinics.

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   1. Tan J, et al. P0024, EADV 2019, 9-13 Oct, Madrid, Spain.

Posted on 9 October 201912 March 2021