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Hidradenitis suppurativa uncommon in US, mainly affects females, young adults

Hidradenitis suppurativa is an uncommon disease in the United States that more often affects females, young adults, black and biracial patients, according to study results recently published in JAMA Dermatology.

Amit Garg, MD, of the dermatology department at Hofstra Norwell School of Medicine in North Hyde Park, New York, and colleagues used a multi-institutional data analytics and research platform to determine a heterogenous population-based sample of more than 48 million patients across all U.S. Census regions. They identified 47,690 patients (73.8% women) with hidradentitis suppurativa (HS) as of October 2106

In the sample population of patients with HS demonstrated a prevalence of 0.1% or 98 per 100,000 people.

HS occurred more than twice as frequently in women as in men (137 per 100,000 vs. 58 per 100,000; P < .001).

Patients aged 30-39 years had a significantly higher prevalence of HS compared with other age groups (P < .001 for all pair-wise comparisons.)

More than half (54.1%) of all patients with HS were white, and nearly one-third were black. Black patients had a threefold prevalence of HS (296 per 100,000) and biracial patients had a twofold greater prevalence (218 per 100,000) compared with white patients (95 per 100,000; P < .01 for both comparisons).

“We have estimated that HS is an uncommon, but not rare disease in the United States that disproportionately affects female patients, young adults and African American and biracial patients,” the researchers concluded. “However, costs and utilization of health care services among patients with HS rival or exceed those of patients with psoriasis, a common skin disease.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: Garg reports an advisory role with and honoraria from AbbVie. Please see the full study for a list of all other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.