The Burden of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in a Cohort of Patients in Southern Finland: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that impacts the quality of life. Methods: We evaluated its burden in a cohort of 26 Finnish patients in a single-center cross-sectional study. Demographic data, disease history, clinical data, treatment patterns, and workability were collected. Patients responded to the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21). Results: Mean age of HS patients was 44.2 years and mean diagnostic delay was 13.7 years. Pain was rated the most bothersome symptom. Mean DLQI score was 8.31. Women consistently had higher scores than men for every item of the DLQI. Mean BDI-21 score was 10.69. Higher Hurley stage at visit (p = 0.001), female gender (p = 0.018), and higher BDI-21 score (p = 0.022) were variables that significantly affected the total DLQI score, whereas female gender (p = 0.004) was the only variable that significantly affected the total BDI-21 score using stepwise regression analysis. Conclusions: The burden of HS is for the first time reported in Finland. The diagnostic delay is longer than previously reported and the results suggest that women are impacted by the disease more than men.

Quality of life measurement in hidradenitis suppurativa: position statement of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology task forces on Quality of Life and Patient‐Oriented Outcomes and Acne, Rosacea and Hidradenitis Suppurativa

“…80 A high Hurley stage and female gender were variables that significantly correlated with the total DLQI score in a Finnish study of HS patients. 81 Women in that study had consistently higher scores than men for every item of the DLQI. There was no significant correlation between resilience and HRQoL in HS patients from the United States and Denmark.…”

Hidradenitis Suppurativa: An Asian Perspective from a Singaporean Institute

“…These studies have reported a prevalence ranging from 0.078 to 4% [4][5][6] at a female:male ratio of approximately 3: 1 [4][5][6][7]. The cause for the female predominance is uncertain, but postulated reasons include differences in self-care (such as shaving of hair-bearing sites), in hormones or in health-seeking behaviour [8].…”

Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa Measured with the 15D Instrument and Comparison with the General Population and Patients with Psoriasis

“…Ten patients (38.5%), of whom 9 were women, reported depression symptoms (BDI-21 >12); mild, moderate, and severe depression was reported in 6, 2, and 2 patients, respectively. The DLQI and BDI-21 results are discussed in detail elsewhere [8]. …”

“…The study enrolled adult patients diagnosed with HS. The inclusion criteria, study methodology, and main study results are reported in more detail elsewhere [8]. The patients' HRQoL was compared to that of a representative sample of an age-standardized general population ( n = 4,176) from the Health 2011 Health Examination Survey [6] and to that of age-standardized psoriasis patients ( n = 138) from the Health 2000 Health Examination Survey [7].…”