Hidradenitis suppurativa linked with metabolic syndrome

1. An association between patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) was revealed in this study.                                           

2. While diabetes mellitus, general obesity, abdominal obesity, and low HDL were all associated with HS, the strongest association was with general obesity.

Evidence Rating Level: 3 (Average)

Study Rundown: Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by inflamed and painful cutaneous nodules. Previous studies have shown an association between HS and other systemic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Given that these diseases have previously been linked with metabolic syndrome (MetS), these authors sought to assess whether there was a connection between HS and MetS. They found that while HS was associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome, the association between HS and MetS was not influenced by the degree of HS severity. While the study provides insight on correlation, the cross-sectional study design cannot demonstrate causation.

Click to read the study in JAMA Dermatology

Relevant Reading: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

In-Depth [cross-sectional study]: Study investigators selected a group of 326 patients from the general population with HS (population-based HS group) and 32 patients from an outpatient-based sample with HS (hospital-based HS group), and compared them to 14,851 patients without HS from the Danish General Suburban Population Study. Both HS groups completed a questionnaire, had a physical exam, and had blood samples taken. The average age of participants in the hospital-based HS group, population-based group, and non-HS group was 42, 47, and 56, respectively. The HS groups were predominantly female while there was a more even gender divide in the non-HS group. As compared to non-HS group, the hospital-based HS group and population-based HS group were both associated with increased odds of MetS 3.89 (95% CI, 1.90-7.98) and 2.08 (95% CI, 1.61-2.69), respectively. For diabetes mellitus, general obesity and abdominal obesity when compared to the non-HS group, the hospital-based HS groups’ odds ratios were 5.74 (95% CI, 1.91-17.24), 6.38 (95% CI, 2.99-13.62), 3.62 (95% CI, 1.73-7.60), respectively, suggesting that both metabolic syndrome and its components associated with HS.

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Image: PD

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