ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2020 June;155(3):335-40

DOI: 10.23736/S0392-0488.18.06165-5

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Characterization of comorbid conditions burdening hidradenitis suppurativa: a multicentric observational study

Andrea CHIRICOZZI ¹ ✉, Giulia GIOVANARDI ², Dante R. CAPOSIENA CARO ³, Michela IANNONE ¹, Clara DE SIMONE ^{2, 4}, Maria V. CANNIZZARO ³, Teresa ORANGES ¹, Barbara FOSSATI ⁴, Eleonora DI MATTEO ³, Valentina DINI ¹, Luca BIANCHI ³, Ketty PERIS ^{2, 4}

¹ Unit of Dermatology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; ² Institute of Dermatology, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy; ³ Department of Dermatology, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ Department of Dermatology, IRCCS A. Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation, Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, disabling, inflammatory skin disorder that primarily affects the hair follicle localized at the apocrine-gland-bearing areas of the body, including axillary, inguinal, buttocks, and anogenital areas, and it may be associated with a wide array of comorbid conditions. This study aimed to described comorbid conditions affecting HS patients and to detect any correlation with disease severity.
METHODS: Analyzing clinic database, we included all charts of patients visited at the HS outpatient clinic of three University Dermatologic Departments in order to describe demographic data, anthropometric measures, disease features, personal habits, clinical history, and presence of comorbidities.
RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-four patients, mostly females (62%), were enrolled in this study. Based on Hurley staging classification 41% of patients were classified as Hurley Stage I, 43.0% as Hurley II, and 16% Hurley III, with a mean mSartorius Score value of 24.7 (SD: ±19.39) and a mean AISI score value of 12.5 (SD: ±11.93). The most frequently observed comorbidities were: obesity (26.1%), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (13.8% of the overall study population and 22.3% of females), hypertension (11.9%), dyslipidemia (9.9%), type II diabetes (9.5%), thyroid disorders (9.1%), nervous system disorders (7.1%), acne (6.7%), metabolic syndrome (4.4%), and Crohn’s disease (3.6%). Obesity represented a key-comorbid condition increasing the likelihood of having more severe HS and PCOS (odds ratio 3.35 and 3.74, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: HS is associated with a variety of comorbid conditions that should be considered to perform targeted routine screening and to improve HS management.

KEY WORDS: Comorbidity; Hidradenitis suppurativa; Obesity; Metabolic syndrome; Polycystic ovary syndrome