Smoking cessation associated with reduced hidradenitis suppurativa risk
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Key takeaways:
- Individuals who quit smoking showed a reduced risk for hidradenitis suppurativa.
- New smokers showed a similar risk for HS compared with sustained smokers.
Quitting smoking and maintaining smoking cessation was associated with a reduced risk for developing hidradenitis suppurativa, according to a study.
“Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by painful nodules, abscesses and tunnel formation in intertriginous areas, poses a substantial burden on affected individuals,” Seong Rae Kim, MD, of the department of dermatology at Seoul National University College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.
Causes of the disease are multifactorial and include genetics, immune dysregulation and environmental factors.
“Among these environmental factors, cigarette smoking has gained interest due to its potential role in both developing and exacerbating the disease,” the authors wrote.
Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance database, this population-based cohort study included more than 6 million people who had undergone two consecutive biennial health examinations. A secondary cohort of 1,905,499 people included those who had completed the consecutive biennial health examinations for the study’s full 14-year follow-up period and had continued the same smoking status throughout.
A total of 3,761 HS events occurred over 84,457,025 person-years of follow up, with lower risks observed in those who initially smoked but quit before their second follow up (adjusted HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.56-0.83), those who maintained cessation (aHR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.57-0.77) and those who never smoked (aHR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.52-0.63) compared with those who continued to smoke and those who did not smoke but started before the second follow up.
New smokers had a similar risk for HS as sustained smokers.
In the secondary cohort the results were similar, with a significant reduction in risk with quitting smoking (aHR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39-0.83).
Kaplan-Meier curves also showed an increase in HS incidence in sustained smokers compared with never smokers, as well as in quitters, through the first 3 to 4 years after cessation in the primary cohort.
“This extensive long-term cohort study provides empirical evidence establishing that smoking cessation was associated with a decreased risk of developing HS compared to continuous smoking,” the authors wrote. “Smoking cessation and maintaining a smoke-free lifestyle may be important preventive measures against the development of HS.”
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