A Retrospective Cohort Study on Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is one of the most distressing conditions observed in dermatology and has a substantial negative effect on the quality of life of affected persons.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate different treatment strategies in patients with HS.

METHODS: In a retrospective cohort, all patients with HS (July 2015 to March 2017) were reviewed. Collected data consisted of patients' demographics, clinical characteristics, psychosocial situation, and previous and current treatments. In addition, therapy response to the most recent prescribed treatments was assessed.

RESULTS: 102 patients (38 females, 64 males; median age 37.5 years) were included in this study. 68.4% of patients had BMI ≥25, and 76.5% of patients were current smokers. Hurley stages I, II, and III were detected in 13.5, 53.1, and 33.3% of patients, respectively. The most commonly administered treatments were surgery (67.6%), nonantibiotic topical therapies (72.5%), antibiotic topical therapies (55.9%), systemic antibiotics (88.2%), and biologics in 11.8% of the patients. 84.6% of the patients showed a response (27.5 and 47.1% partial and complete response, respectively) to the treatments.

CONCLUSION: HS as a chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disease is associated with smoking and obesity. Application of systemic antibiotics is the most frequent treatment strategy for this disease. However, surgical intervention seems to be the most effective treatment strategy.