title: The influence of body weight on the prevalence and severity of hidradenitis suppurativa.
abstract: The prevalence of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has been estimated to be 1% of the population. Obesity is considered a co-morbidity, but the prevalence of HS in obese population is not known. A retrospective questionnaire was distributed to 383 patients over 2 years after bariatric surgery. Data on pre- and post-surgery HS symptoms and disease severity were studied. Disease severity was assessed by number of involved sites. General skin problems rated numerically on an anchored 1-10 scale. Valid responses were obtained from 249/383 (65%). A point prevalence of 18.1% (45/249) HS was found. The number of patients reporting HS symptoms after weight loss decreased by 35% and the mean number of involved sites was reduced from 1.93 to 1.22 following weight loss (p = 0.003). The prevalence of HS appears higher in the obese than in the background population, and a weight loss of more than 15% is associated with a significant reduction of disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Roskilde Hospital, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kromann
authors.forename: Kristina S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Ibler
authors.forename: Viggo B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: Gregor B E
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Jemec
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017497:Hidradenitis Suppurativa / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult