Hidradenitis suppurativa is a recurrent, debilitating suppurative skin disease. The symptoms are much more than just physical, but studies of its impact on patients' psychological state and related quality of life are very limited. The current study was conducted with a group of 54 patients, aged 16-65 years, who had an active, but stable, course of hidradenitis suppurativa. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of hidradenitis suppurativa on a broad spectrum of psychophysical factors. Assessment was carried out using several questionnaires, which revealed the following mean scores: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) (12.67 +/- 7.7), Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form (BDI-SF) (5.87 +/- 4.68), Evers et al. "6-Item Scale" (3.87 +/- 3.65), EQ-5D (0.66 +/- 0.23 (health index) and 56.78 +/- 18.84 (VAS)), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue scale (FACIT-F) (32.06 +/- 11.01) and Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) (56.44 +/- 15.17%). The results highlight the important impact of hidradenitis suppurativa on a wide spectrum of psychophysical aspects and impairment of related quality of life among patients. Our findings indicate that advancement of the disease seems to be the most important factor negatively influencing patients' well-being (p < 0.01). It is noteworthy that an anogenital location appears to impair the hidradenitis suppurativa patients' quality of life most of all (p < 0.05), but the occurrence of lesions on uncovered skin plays a crucial role in the stigmatization level (p < 0.05).

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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a recurrent, debilitating suppurative skin disease. Nowadays the major challenge is the choice of optimal treatment. Many conservative therapies seem to have only a supportive character and do not prevent progression of the disease. Early surgical intervention with complete excision of the involved areas is still considered to be the most efficient therapy, but anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha agents may offer a possible non-surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the serum concentration of TNF-alpha and its probable alterations during the disease process in patients with HS. Analysis of TNF-alpha serum concentration in 54 individuals with HS revealed significantly higher levels than in the sera of healthy controls (p = 0.006). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of increased TNF-alpha serum concentration in patients with HS.

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common malignancies diagnosed in Caucasian populations. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent skin cancer, followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Unfortunately, most European cancer registries do not record individual types of NMSC. To evaluate the incidence of primary BCCs and SCCs regarding age, sex, tumour site and tumour subtype to determine trends in epidemiology of both cancers. Retrospective analysis of BCCs and SCCs diagnosed and treated across seven sites in Poland from 1999 to 2019. We recorded 13,913 NMSCs occurring in 10,083 patients. BCC represented 85.2% of all cases. SCC patients were older than BCC patients (77.1 ± 11.3 years vs. 70.1 ± 12.3 years, p < 0.01). The nodular subtype was the most common subtype of BCC, followed by the superficial and infiltrative subtypes. The superficial BCC subtype was more common on photoprotected areas (p < 0.01), whereas the nodular BCC subtype occurred on the face (p < 0.01). The high-risk SCC subtypes were more common on face compared to low-risk SCC subtypes (p < 0.01). BCC and SCC are common malignancies developing at various ages and anatomical sites. These data underline the need for better registration policies regarding NMSC in order to improve prevention and treatment strategies for these tumours.

Surgical treatment of HS is effective and well tolerated. In selected cases, our own techniques of surgical wound closure accelerated healing and improved results.

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The bacterial superinfection in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), although it does not initiate the disease itself, seems to be one of the major contributors to an inflammatory vicious circle. Antibiotic therapy is therefore commonly prescribed in HS. This study was undertaken to evaluate the prescription of systemic antibiotics in the light of bacteriological cultures and antibiograms. The study was conducted on a group of 69 patients with HS. The huge majority (n=62) of the patients were treated with antibiotics. The antibiotics were prescribed 132 times and taken for a mean period of 9.9 ± 8.9 weeks. The most commonly used antibiotic was doxycycline (16.7%). The majority of the patients had a polymicrobial flora with up to 5 species, predominantly staphylococci and bacteria of intestinal flora. The highest effectiveness against isolates was observed for carbapanems, penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors and fluoroquinolones - 8.5%, 11.9%, and 11.9% of resistant strains, respectively. In daily practice penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors or fluoroquinolones could serve as first-line therapy of HS.