HOW CAN I MANAGE HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVA?

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common chronic recurrent multifocal disease of skin and subcutaneous tissues affecting flexural areas where it causes inflammation, scarring, and sinus formation (Figure 44-1). HS is a debilitating follicular skin disease where pain and the discharge of pus from sinus tracts causes significant morbidity. 1 Diagnosis relies on recognition of the inflammatory lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the body, most commonly in the axillary, inguinal, and anogenital regions. HS typically begins after puberty. The primary mechanism in the disease is thought to be occlusion of the follicle in the pilosebaceous infundibulum followed by its rupture with subsequent inflammation. 2 The disease is often associated with other members of the socalled “follicular occlusion tetrad”-acne conglobata, dissecting cellulitis of the scalp, and a pilonidal cyst. Figure 44-1 Axilla showing scarred nodules and sinus tract formation indicative of chronic disease. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003523628/fea5ccf3-1b7d-4202-9c72-5311a5b42bf3/content/fig44-1.jpg” xmlns:xlink=“https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink”/>.