Epidemiology of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Current Status

Abstract

Purpose of Review: This review aimed to provide a comprehensive and current state of art about epidemiology and clinical aspects of the HS. Recent Findings: Our search yielded 17 articles that included studies that showed a prevalence range from 0.00033 to 1.4%. Incidence data is limited. HS is more prevalent in women than in men. The highest prevalence is found in the third and fourth decade of life. The most frequent localizations are the inguinal, axillary, and perianal regions. There are associations between HS and obesity (OR 2.09), hypertension (OR 1.84), and dyslipidemia (OR 4.06), among others. Summary: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by occlusion of hair follicles as a primary pathogenic factor. It affects areas of the body with apocrine glands, predominantly in the axillary, inguinal, intermammary, and anogenital regions. Clinically, its manifestations vary from inflammatory nodules and abscesses to the formation of sinus tracts and scarring. HS used to be considered a disorder of apocrine glands; today, it is considered a disease of the pilosebaceous unit associated with an immune imbalance in a genetically predisposed individual, thus linked to other autoimmune diseases.