Successful Treatment of Granulomatous Rosacea by JAK Inhibitor Abrocitinib: A Case Report

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2023 Nov 20:16:3369-3374. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S440138. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Granulomatous rosacea (GR) is a rare inflammatory skin disease characterized by persistent, hard, yellow, brown, red, or flesh-colored papules, plaques, or nodules on the face. Limited data are available on patients treated for GR, with only case reports and case series published. Herein, we describe the case of a 53-year-old woman who presented to the hospital with persistent red to brown and pink patches on both cheeks accompanied by a burning sensation for one month. Histopathological examination of a cutaneous biopsy revealed granulomatous inflammation in focal areas. Both acid-fast and Periodic acid-Schiff staining were negative. The patient was diagnosed with GR based on her clinical presentation and laboratory test results. She was treated with abrocitinib, a JAK-1 inhibitor, for 20 weeks. This resulted in substantial improvement in her rash and the associated burning sensation. Subsequent follow-up visits indicated no adverse effects or relapses. Additionally, a literature review was conducted to compare with the current case, which concluded that abrocitinib is a viable treatment option for GR, exhibiting a relatively high safety profile with minimal side effects.

Keywords: JAK inhibitor; abrocitinib; efficacy; granulomatous rosacea.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Young Talents Project of Zhejiang Medicine and Health Science and Technology Project (Grant number: 2022KY049).