Botulinum toxin may improve quality of life in hidradenitis suppurativa

Botulinum toxin can help improve the quality of life in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, according to a study.

A single-center, randomized, double-blind trial enrolled 20 patients with HS disease stage I to III. Subjects received injections of either botulinum toxin (BTX-B) (NeuroBloc, Eisai) or saline placebo.

In the BTX-B group, Dermatology Life Quality Index scores improved from a median of 17 to 8 after 3 months, while those in the placebo group had an improvement from 13.5 to 11 (P < .05).

HS impairment of general health, as rated by the patients on the visual analog scale, improved from a baseline median of 8 to 3.5 after BTX treatment compared with a change from a median of 6 to 5.5 in the placebo group (P < .05).

The number of total lesions was reduced from baseline in the treatment group, but the difference compared with the placebo group was not significant.

“In our study, treatment with BTX-B improved the QoL in patients with HS, which could be explained by a reduction in total lesions,” the study authors wrote.

The study also found 55% of the population had hyperhidrosis, which is a significant difference from the general population, with a prevalence of approximately 3%.

“The current study supports the association between hyperhidrosis and HS,” the authors wrote. “If increased eccrine sweating occurs in HS individuals in general, the idea of using BTX-B is even more logical.”