[Rosacea. Clinical features and treatment].

The paper describes clinical features, concepts in the pathogenesis, and therapeutical aspects of rosacea. Particular attention is paid to recent experiences on topical therapy with metronidazole. A Norwegian double-blind, multi-centre clinical trial compares metronidazole 1% cream applied twice daily with placebo cream in the treatment of 97 patients with rosacea. After eight weeks of treatment there was a statistically significant difference between the two regimens in favour of metronidazole cream. No important side effects were registered. It is concluded that 1% metronidazole cream is an effective and well-tolerated alternative to tetracycline in patients with papulopustular rosacea.