Rosacea and digestive problems

[Aklady09]

I was wondering if there any other symptoms of GI problems or other digestive issues besides the development and/or progression of rosacea.

What other symptoms might accompany the rosacea? Thanks!

[dora]

I was wondering if there any other symptoms of GI problems or other digestive issues besides the development and/or progression of rosacea.

What other symptoms might accompany the rosacea? Thanks!

i'm not sure i understand the question, Aklady! are you asking what other symptoms GI problems can cause, or whether there are other health issues (besides GI situations) that rosaceans frequently have?

dora

[koki]

Im just gonna talk from my experience, my rosacea swelling is directly proportional to my stomach upsets. So after having a beautiful skin all my life (complimented by Sephora workers)and never having stomach anything... Ideveloped hives, rosacea blepharitis and bad stomach problems during a 1 month lapse. I went to a GI dr who tested my for stomach pain and all that, and I based on my biopsy during the colonoscopy it was found I have h pyori and lymphocytic colitis.

So can an immune reaction in the body cause inflammation ...?? ABSOLUTELY. At least in my case. I guess every rosacea is different, the only thing researches have found is increased inflammatory mediators.

[Aklady09]

Sorry Dora, I should have worded that differently.

I suppose I should have asked if anyone has experienced an onset of stomach/digestive issues before or at the same time their rosacea came on - stomach aches, problems with digestion, etc I would like to know what other symptoms GI can cause.

I see so many posts where the two seem to go hand in hand. Koki's situation is a good example of that.

I was just curious because I have had issues w/ my stomach every now and then.

Thanks!

[Auburn]

I suppose I should have asked if anyone has experienced an onset of stomach/digestive issues before or at the same time their rosacea came on

I never had any stomach problems until about three years ago, when I noticed my skin was reacting to fluorescent lighting. I think asymptomatic seb derm was also present then.

My GI tract issues were: GERD/acid reflux (also experienced some IBS-like symptoms for a while, perhaps as a consequence of an endo-colonoscopy).

[MasK]

GERD begun at the age of 15 after an accutane course prescribed for juvenile acne (that was a very bad idea, imo). I don't know if it was the consequence. Anyway, the flushes started almost at the same time.
I took omeprazole during ten years, developped dysbiosis with leaky gut, persistent redness, other GI problems, allergies, runny nose, joint and muscle pains (fibromyalgia), chronic fatigue, and the seb derm appeared 1 year ago exactly when the IBS started (constipation). I was also diagnosed with H. Pylori, treated successfully with antibiotics, but if I was aware of the alternative and effective treatments (mastic gum), I would have chose this to avoid flora destruction.

I did comprehensive stool tests analysis, and they showed very low levels of gut flora, with some pathogens overgrowth, and also low levels of the substances produced by the healthy flora (short chain fatty acids, ...).
I'm trying to restore the flora with kefir, yoghurt, pro and prebiotics, and an anti-inflammatory-type diet, meat, fish, some fats and vegetables. I take glutamine to heal the gut lining.
I've also fixed the GERD problem by aiding my digestion with bitters, Trimethylglycine and zinc, to help getting sufficient stomach acid level, as GERD results from a lack of stomach acid.
Obvisouly I stopped all antacid drugs, and I also avoid taking supplements that neutralize stomach acid, like magnesium carbonate, ...

[ice2meetyu]

About 1 year ago I started getting what I thought was acne on the right side of my nose. I didn't think much about it and thought it was probably from my diet. It then started to occur on the other side, then on to my forehead. By then about 6 months had passed without treatment. During this time I started having some serious reflux symptoms- waking up in the middle of the night with my throat on fire from the reflux- coughing etc. About the same time I noticed that when I lay on my left side I would feel an irregular heartbeat. I went to the Cardiologist and had a complete workup- echocardiogram, stress test, ekg, etc.. but everything checked out ok. I wore a heart monitor for a week and the results were that I was having some pvc's. The doctor said it wasn't a big deal- that many people have them. Later the pvc's were occuring more regularly- always when laying on my left side and half the time when laying on my right side. I was having what they call bigeminal pvc's (every other beat) Sometimes they occured even when I was sitting up. Belching seemed to relieve the severity of the symptoms. I always felt bloated and had difficulty swallowing. After doing some online research I came across some text from an old german medical book describing Roemheld syndrome. Simply put, the stomach for some reason pushes up on the diaphragm, thus coming in contact with the heart or otherwise stimulates the vegus nerve causing cardiac symptoms. With that new information I went to the Gastro Dr and although he never heard of the syndrome believes in the gastro-cardio connection. He scheduled an endoscopy and voila, I have gastritis and evidence of GERD. There was possible evidence (mucosal rings) in the esophagus of an infection (mucosal rings). Biopsies were taken there and the stomach. Later that night after the procedure it finally hit me that all these other problems occured about the same time as the appearance of what the gastro dr. told me was Rosacea. I was clueless until he told me. Go figure. So, i scheduled an appt. for the next day for the dermatologist and left with a prescription for MetroGel and Doryx 150mg. Within 3 days, the rosacea symptoms were 80% gone. There were no new papules. I still retained some redness and could see where some past papules had been, but hope they will fade with time. The biggest surprise was that about the same time the rosacea subsided, the PVC's stopped completely. Doing some reading- especially in this forum- I discovered the high incedence rate of H. Pylori infection with Rosacea cases. So, I'm wondering if I have an active H. Pylori infection which caused the gastritis which was producing the pvc's. I don't know the direct relationship between rosacea and H. Pylori, but it's very odd that the Rosacea treatment has eliminated the cardiac symptoms while also clearing up the rosacea. I'll get the biopsy results in a few days.

[BigW]

I was wondering if there any other symptoms of GI problems or other digestive issues besides the development and/or progression of rosacea.

What other symptoms might accompany the rosacea? Thanks!

Hi, i've read betaine hydrochloric acid (HCl) may help with digestion, especially the digestion of protein and fats.

Apparently as you get older your stomach produces less acid so a supplement may be necessary.

I'm 46 and my lifestyle and diet hasn't changed much at all for the last 20-25 years so i'm trying to nail down a deficiency i may have developed due to the aging process. Below is a copy and paste i found on low Hydrochloric Acid.


Common Symptoms Of Low Hydrochloric Acid
Bloating or belching, especially after eating
Burning in the stomach, especially after eating
Fullness or heaviness in the stomach after eating
Nausea after eating or taking supplements
Intestinal gas
Indigestion
Bad breath
Diarrhea or constipation
Food allergies
Itching around the rectum
Weak or cracked fingernails
Dilated blood vessels in the cheeks or nose (in nonalcoholics)
Skin break-outs or acne
Iron deficiency
Chronic intestinal parasites
Undigested food in the stool
Chronic candida infection

I normally use a good multi vitamin/mineral but have recently added 50mg of zinc (as mentioned by Mask) because of it's benefits for skin and also Chromium as it is supposed to help balance blood sugar. A good balance of omega fats are also supposed to help.

We have a suncreen product here in Australia called "zinc stick" which contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide which i have been applying to my nose and upper cheeks (my flare-up areas) before potential triggers and my flare ups have decreased in frequency, intensity and duration so i have my fingers crossed i'm onto something.

Maybe eat as natural as you can or maybe look into some sort of food combing if the problem still persists.

I wish you luck.