Low Gastric Acid and Rosacea

[Guide]

A theory that low gastric acid (stomach acid) may be a factor in rosacea has been around for some time now and is included as a theory of the cause of rosacea in this post. A paper in 1931 by EPSTEIN and SUSNOW in California and Western Medicine [1] concluded the following two points: 

1. A marked hypochlorhydria was demonstrated in 75 per cent of this series of cases of rosacea.
2. Definite clinical improvement followed the internal administration of dilute hydrochloric acid.

If you have about fifteen minutes you should read the full text. [1]

Thanks to Jeffrey Dach MD who posts on his web site the above information and refers to Jonathan Wright MD who mentions the connection between Rosacea and low stomach acid in his book, Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You. [2]

There are number of anecdotal reports on RF that report that raising a low gastric acid level improves rosacea. [3]

There are other clinical papers at PubMed discussing this subject. [4]

Why Does Low Gastric Acid Occur?
Answer: It could be due to complications of bacterial overgrowth and intestinal metaplasia, various medical problems (a list is provided by Wikipedia), H Pylori is known to reduce gastric acid [5], and simply growing older is associated with lower gastric acid levels. [6]

Home Test for Low Gastric Acid
All you do is Google 'test for low stomach acid' and see the results. An excellent article on this subject is posted by Sherman H. Morrison at Healevate, HOW I FIGURED OUT I HAD LOW STOMACH ACID AND FIXED IT. 

Treatment for Low Gastric Acid Level
There are a number of treatments for raising your gastric level which you should discuss with your doctor and, of course, changing your life style and diet by eating healthy, as well as, natural treatments to raise gastric acid including a number of over the counter methods mentioned by the anecdotal reports above [3]. A food source that is high in hydrochloric acid is apple cider vinegar and Betaine HCL/Pepsin.

If treatment for low gastric acid improves rosacea your rosacea may be classified at Gastrointestinal Rosacea [GR].

If you decide to improve your gastric acid level and note improvement in your rosacea, please, post in this thread your results and what you did exactly so that others may benefit.  

Mastic Gum and HCL Supplements for Rosacea

Etcetera

Proton Pump Inhibitors and Rosacea

End Notes

[1] Cal West Med. 1931 Aug;35(2):118-20.
ACNE ROSACEA: WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO GASTRIC SECRETION.
Epstein N, Susnow D.
ACNE_ROSACEA_GASTRIC_SECRETION_Hypochlorhydria_Acid_Epstein_1931.pdf 

[2] Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You

[3] Marie Antoinette post no 1 at RF started a thread on this subject and if you read post no 3 you will see other thread links to anecdotal reports on this subject and how to search for even more threads on this subject at RF. 

[4] Dermatologica. 1970;141(6):385-92.
Gastric acid secretion and mucosal morphology in rosacea.
Drunkenmölle R, Schulz U.

Z Haut Geschlechtskr. 1972 Apr 1;47(7):267-71.
Gastric function tests in patients with acne vulgaris, rosacea and rosacea-like perioral dermatitis.
Gloor M, Heinkel K, Schulz U.

Medicina (B Aires). 1999;59(5 Pt 1):469-70.
Rosacea, vinegar and lemon, dysuria and Helicobacter pylori.
Vázquez FJ1.

Br J Dermatol. 2017 Jan;176(1):100-106. doi: 10.1111/bjd.14930. Epub 2016 Oct 31.
Rosacea and gastrointestinal disorders: a population-based cohort study.
Egeberg A1, Weinstock LB2, Thyssen EP2, Gislason GH3,4,5, Thyssen JP1.

[5] A symptom of Helicobacter pylori infection which neutralizes and decreases secretion of gastric acid to aid its survival in the stomach. Wikipedia

Gastroenterology. 1997 Jul;113(1):15-24.
Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic gastric acid hyposecretion.
El-Omar EM1, Oien K, El-Nujumi A, Gillen D, Wirz A, Dahill S, Williams C, Ardill JE, McColl KE.

[6] "On the downside are health challenges that come with old age, including digestive health disorders. Digestive problems may occur at any age, but as you grow older, the body produces less stomach acid and less saliva, thereby slowing your digestion." Does Digestion Slow Down As People Age?, SF Gate

Hydrogen Chloride image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons