Helicobacter pylori in rosacea and chronic urticaria.

Sir, Rosacea and chronic urticaria are two common dermatological conditions that have been associated with Helicobacter pylori infection (1). Several reports have described improvement in the dermatological condition following administration of antimicrobial therapy to eradicate H. pylori (2 ± 4). However, recent controlled reports have found similar rates of H. pylori infection in patients with rosacea and in healthy patients (5 ± 7), suggesting a lack of this association and that the improvement in rosacea following systemic antimicrobial therapy is unlikely to be due to eradication of H. pylori (8). The present open and uncontrolled study was designed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with several skin disorders, the presence of gastrointestinal disease, and the response of H. pylori-infected patients with rosacea and chronic urticaria to antibiotic therapy for H. pylori eradication.