Sub-classification of Hidradenitis suppurativa: a cross-sectional study

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Linnea Thorlacius
  • Peter T. Riis
  • Emil Knudsen List
  • Robin Christensen
  • Jemec, Gregor

The typical Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) patient is a young woman with axillary and groin involvement, but the spectrum of the disease presentation is broad and no internationally acknowledged sub-classification of the disease exists to date. It is however speculated that different, yet unidentified, subtypes may respond differently to different treatments or carry a different prognosis. Classification according to self-reported clinically meaningful outcomes for patients offer practical advantages. Our objective was to build an empirical framework for sub-classification of HS patients based on the frequency of HS flares in various anatomic locations, using a cross-sectional questionnaire-based design. All patients with a clinically confirmed diagnosis of HS registered at our department until March 1, 2017 were invited to participate. The frequency of HS flares in various anatomic locations was used for identification of possible HS subtypes using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. A total of 524 (62%) of 845 invited patients answered the questionnaire; 402 (76.7%) were female. From the cluster analysis, we identified two possible subtypes of HS, labeled the “upper type” and the “lower type”. The “upper type” was characterized by repeated outbreaks in axillary and mammary regions. Meanwhile, the “lower type” was characterized by outbreaks in the inguinal, genital, perianal, and gluteal regions. Our findings support the notion that HS can be sub-classified and imply that the pattern of where lesions are located may be an important element in future HS sub-classification systems.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftArchives of Dermatological Research
Vol/bind314
Udgave nummer2
Sider (fra-til)207-212
Antal sider6
ISSN0340-3696
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2022

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
LT, PTR and ELK are supported by the Region Zealand Research Foundation. Musculoskeletal Statistics Unit, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital is supported by a core grant from the Oak Foundation (OCAY-18-774-OFIL). Acknowledgement

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

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