People With This Skin Condition Have Fibromyalgia At 7 Times The Rate
I've spent years at mindbodygreen reporting on the ways skin conditions connect to what's happening deeper inside the body. The skin is not just a window into whole-body health—it is whole-body health. What happens in the skin is often bidirectional with other systems, meaning they can influence each other—often in ways we don't fully understand (yet).
And the connections are plentiful: The gut-skin axis, the brain-skin connection, the link between inflammatory skin diseases and heart health. Just to name a few. Every new study adds another layer. Including this new one that I found quite compelling—and it's not just because I have the skin condition myself.
About the study
Published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy, this new controlled cross sectional study looked at the relationship between rosacea, an inflammatory skin disease characterized by redness, and the central nervous system disorder fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal discomfort, fatigue, sleep disruption, and mood changes. It also disproportionately affects women, with about 80-90% of diagnosis being women.
- Researchers found that nearly 7 in 10 people with rosacea also met the criteria for fibromyalgia.
- That's compared to fewer than 1 in 10 people without rosacea. It's a gap that's hard to look past.
This was a controlled cross-sectional study, which means researchers compared two groups at a single point in time: one group with rosacea, one without.
Here's how it was designed:
- The participants: 54 people with rosacea were compared against 51 matched controls—people without any inflammatory skin disease, matched by age and sex
- The fibromyalgia criteria: Researchers used the 2010 American College of Rheumatology1 criteria to determine whether participants met the threshold for fibromyalgia
- The additional measures: Participants were also assessed for functional impairment, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and fatigue, giving researchers a fuller picture of overall health burden
What the researchers found
When they looked at the two groups, 68.5% of people with rosacea met the criteria for fibromyalgia (often undiagnosed), compared to just 9.8% of people without rosacea. That's a more than sevenfold difference.
But the researchers went further than just documenting the overlap. They also looked at what was driving it. A few findings stood out:
- Fatigue was the strongest independent predictor of fibromyalgia presence: with an odds ratio of 7.17, meaning people with rosacea who reported fatigue were more than seven times as likely to also have fibromyalgia
- Depression and poor sleep quality together explained 48% of the variation in fibromyalgia severity among the rosacea group, as measured by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
- People with rosacea also reported greater functional impairment, anxiety, and depression overall—not just among those who met the fibromyalgia threshold
- Fatigue and sleep quality showed the strongest ability to distinguish who did and didn't have fibromyalgia within the rosacea group
The researchers also noted that subjective skin dryness was more common in one subtype of rosacea (the kind characterized primarily by redness and visible blood vessels) compared to the type that involves bumps and pustules.
What to do with this information
As someone with diagnosed rosacea (its mostly controlled with lifestyle factors, although I have been on topical prescription medication for it in the past), this study had me reeling. I don't think I fit the threshold for fibromyalgia, but I'm certainly no stranger to some of the symptoms.
If you have rosacea, and experience any of the any of the below, it is worth inquiring more with your health care provider.
- Widespread pain
- Morning stiffness
- Fatigue
- Sleep challenges
- Brain fog
- Muscle knots or cramping
- Itchy/burning skin
- Balance problems
- Sensory sensitivities
- Tingling hands and feet
The authors specifically highlight that patients with rosacea may be carrying a substantial burden of undiagnosed fibromyalgia, and that the symptoms most predictive of it (fatigue, poor sleep, depression) are exactly the kinds of things that can get dismissed or attributed to other causes.
Fibromyalgia is notoriously under-diagnosed. It's a condition that affects women at higher rates, involves symptoms that are often invisible, and can take years to identify.
The idea that a dermatology appointment, prompted by skin concerns, could be an entry point to catching it earlier is honestly pretty exciting in my opinion.
How does this fit into the big picture?
Next steps in your whole-body care plan
This isn't cause for alarm if you have rosacea. It's a reason to think more holistically about your health picture.
A few things worth considering:
- Pay attention to the full symptom picture: If you have rosacea and you've also been dealing with the symptoms above, it's worth raising with your doctor (not just your dermatologist)
- Don't dismiss "vague" symptoms: Fatigue and poor sleep were the strongest predictors of fibromyalgia in this study—these are symptoms that often get brushed aside, and they deserve to be taken seriously
- Consider a broader care team: A dermatologist is essential for managing rosacea, but if you're experiencing systemic symptoms, a primary care physician or rheumatologist can help evaluate whether something more is going on
- Advocate for yourself: Fibromyalgia is frequently under-diagnosed, so follow your instincts if you think your symptoms are worth following up on
RELATED READ: The 8 Best Collagen Supplements For Skin, Joints & More
The takeaway
The skin has always been one of the body's most honest communicators. This research is a reminder that when a skin condition is persistent, inflammatory, or feels like more than just a surface issue—well, it may well be. Rosacea is worth treating. It's also worth looking beyond.