Oral zinc sulfate in the treatment of rosacea: a double-blind,
placebo-controlled study.
Sharquie KE, Najim RA, Al-Salman HN.
Int J Dermatol. 2006 Jul;45(7):857-61.</p>

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a skin problem not uncommonly encountered world-wide.
There is a need for an effective and well-tolerated treatment for this disease.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and side-effects of zinc sulfate in rosacea
in a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients
with rosacea who attended the outpatient Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology
in Baghdad Teaching Hospital were recruited into this study between October 2002
and August 2004. A disease severity score was calculated for each patient. The
patients were randomly allocated to receive either zinc sulfate 100 mg or
identical placebo capsules three times per day. Zinc sulfate and placebo
capsules were given in a double-blind manner. Following 3 months of starting the
treatment, the patients crossed over, i.e. patients on placebo crossed over to
zinc sulfate and those on zinc sulfate crossed over to placebo. RESULTS:
Twenty-five patients with rosacea were included in this study: 16 (64%) females
and nine (36%) males. Nineteen patients completed the study: 11 (58%) females
and eight (42%) males. Patient age ranged from 21 to 64 years with a mean +/- SD
of 48.2 +/- 9.3 years. Duration of the disease ranged from 1 to 14 years with a
mean +/- SD of 4.4 +/- 3.2 years. In the group started on zinc sulfate, the
score before therapy ranged from 5 to 11 with a mean +/- SD of 8 +/- 2.0. The
mean started to decrease directly after the first month of therapy with zinc
sulfate to a significantly lower level. After shifting to placebo treatment, the
mean started to rise gradually in the fifth month but remained significantly
lower than the levels before therapy. In the group started on placebo, the score
before therapy ranged from 5 to 9 with a mean +/- SD of 7 +/- 1.3. The mean
remained high in the first 3 months of therapy while the patients were on
placebo. After shifting to zinc sulfate, the mean started to decrease after the
fourth month to significantly low levels. No important side-effects were
reported apart from mild gastric upset in three (12%) patients on zinc sulfate.
CONCLUSION: Zinc sulfate was found to be a good option in the treatment of
rosacea, as it was safe, effective and lacking important side-effects.

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