ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The mean age of onset of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is between 20 and 24 years. Very few data about patients with early-onset HS exist. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of early-onset HS with the clinical characteristics: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, family history of HS, Hurley stage, and number of areas affected. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the reported early age at HS onset (≤17 years old) with clinical characteristics and with the severity of HS at first consultation visit. RESULTS: In 166 patients, 42 patients (25.3%) reported early-onset HS. Compared to adult-onset HS, patients with early-onset HS were younger (mean age: 37 years vs. 27 years, P < 0.0001), had a significantly younger mean age of onset (28.2 years old vs. 14.5 years old, respectively, P < 0.0001), longer mean disease duration (8.8 years vs. 12.6 years, respectively, P = 0.011) and were less frequently smokers (P < 0.001), whereas there was no association with gender (P = 0.177) or BMI (0.086). Patients with a family history had increased risk for early-onset HS (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.08-5.56). Early-onset HS was not associated with Hurley stage (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.33-3.74) or with the number of body areas affected (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 0.49-4.83). CONCLUSION: Early-onset HS was frequent and associated with a family history of HS. There was no difference in the severity of HS in adult life for patients with an onset of HS at ≤17 years, compared to patients with adult-onset, which may be reassuring information for these younger patients.
Subject(s)
Hidradenitis Suppurativa/diagnosis , Hidradenitis Suppurativa/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Age of Onset , Cohort Studies , Confidence Intervals , Female , Greece/epidemiology , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Odds Ratio , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Severity of Illness Index , Sex Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a long-term skin disorder associated with high levels of psychological distress and significant life impact. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-esteem in patients with HS. METHODS: Ninety-four patients with HS were enrolled in the study. The quality of life, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-esteem of the patients were assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-Version 3), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), respectively. RESULTS: The DLQI mean score was 11.43 ± 6.61 in patients with HS. The patients with HS presented statistically significantly higher anxiety (6.41 ± 3.31 vs. 5.00 ± 1.59, p < 0.001), depression (5.45 ± 2.79 vs. 4.16 ± 1.54, p < 0.001), and loneliness and social isolation scores (42.86 ± 8.63 vs. 35.57 ± 6.17, p < 0.001) and lower self-esteem scores (18.91 ± 1.79 vs. 19.77 ± 2.53, p = 0.008) than the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: HS is a distressing, recurrent disease that impairs quality of life. We can suggest services that allow an integrated approach, which includes psychosocial support, offering the patients relief from isolation and an opportunity to share common experiences.
