Rosacea — CCFP MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

ModerateDermatologyRosaceaCCFP

A 41-year-old woman presents with recurrent facial flushing and erythema affecting the cheeks and nose. On examination, she has papules and telangiectasia distributed centrofacially. She reports symptoms worsen with alcohol and heat exposure. There are no comedones visible. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C — Rosacea

Explanation lettering: D = shown as A · E = shown as B · B = shown as D · A = shown as E

The diagnosis is **rosacea** (C). This case exemplifies papulopustular rosacea—characterized by persistent centrofacial erythema, inflammatory papules, telangiectasia, and **absence of comedones**. The recurrent flushing triggered by alcohol and heat are pathognomonic. The critical discriminator is the absence of comedones, which definitively excludes acne vulgaris (A), despite both presenting with facial papules. Seborrhoeic dermatitis (B) lacks prominent telangiectasia and would include scaling. SLE (D) presents with a photosensitive malar rash, often with systemic features, without the trigger-driven flushing pattern. Perioral dermatitis (E) is concentrated periocularly and around the mouth, not the generalised centrofacial distribution seen here. Canadian guidelines cite persistent centrofacial erythema, flushing, papules, and telangiectasia as the cardinal features of rosacea, all present in this case.

Reference: Asai Y, Tan J, Baibergenova A, et al. Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rosacea. J Cutan Med Surg. 2016;20(5):432–45. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27207355/