Hidradenitis Suppurativa Disease Severity Not Influenced by Early or Adult-Onset

Although early-onset hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is reported frequently, the severity of the disorder does not differ between those diagnosed at ≤17 years of age and those diagnosed as adults, according to the results of a retrospective study published in the International Journal of Dermatology.

The investigators sought to explore the relationship between early-onset HS and patient clinical characteristics, including age, sex, body mass index, smoking, family history of HS, number of areas affected, disease duration, and Hurley stage. In addition, they studied whether early-onset HS was linked to increased clinical severity of disease in later life.

A total of 166 patients with HS (66 men, 100 women) were included in the study. The age of the patients at the initial consultation ranged from 12 to 64 years (mean age, 34.5±10.8 years). The mean self-reported disease duration was 9.8±8.6 years. Overall, 25.3% (42 of 166) of the patients reported early-onset HS, whereas 74.7% (124 of 166) had adult-onset HS.

When compared with those with adult-onset HS, patients with early-onset HS were significantly younger (mean age, 37 vs 27 years, respectively; P <.0001), had a significantly younger mean age at disease onset (28.2 vs 14.5 years, respectively, P <.0001), had a significantly longer mean disease duration (8.8 vs 12.6 years, respectively; P =.011), and were not as likely to be smokers (P <.001).

In contrast, no significant association was reported between adult-onset HS and early-onset HS with respect to sex (P =.177) or body mass index (P =.086). Patients with a family history of HS had an increased risk of developing early-onset HS (odds ratio [OR], 2.45; 95% CI, 1.08-5.56). There was no link between early-onset HS and Hurley stage (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.33-3.74) or between early-onset HS and number of body areas affected (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 0.49-4.83).

The investigators concluded that according to the results of this study, patients with early-onset HS should be reassured by the fact that no difference in the severity of HS was observed between those with onset of disease at ≤17 years of age and those with onset during their adult years.

Reference

Dessinioti C, Tzanetakou V, Zisimou C, Kontochristopoulos G, Antoniou C. A retrospective study of the characteristics of patients with early-onset compared to adult-onset hidradenitis suppurativa [published online March 31, 2018]. Int J Dermatol. doi: 10.1111/ijd.13985