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Review
. 2017 Apr 19:10:105-115.
doi: 10.2147/CCID.S111019. eCollection 2017.

Hidradenitis suppurativa: from pathogenesis to diagnosis and treatment

Maddalena Napolitano  1 , Matteo Megna  2 , Elena A Timoshchuk  3 , Cataldo Patruno  2 , Nicola Balato  2 , Gabriella Fabbrocini  2 , Giuseppe Monfrecola  2
Affiliations
Review

Hidradenitis suppurativa: from pathogenesis to diagnosis and treatment

Maddalena Napolitano et al. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. .

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease primarily affecting apocrine gland-rich areas of the body and presenting with painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring. HS is a multifactorial disease in which genetic and environmental factors play a key role. The primary defect in HS pathophysiology involves follicular occlusion of the folliculopilosebaceous unit, followed by follicular rupture, and immune responses (perifollicular lympho-histiocytic inflammation), finally leading to the development of clinical HS lesions. HS has a destructive impact on the patient's quality of life, being a very challenging disease. Available treatments are limited, mostly off-label and with high variability in the reported efficacy. Fortunately, a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha has been recently approved for treatment of moderate to severe HS, offering patients a promising new option. This review focuses on the main features of HS, including epidemiology, clinical aspects, pathogenesis, severity classifications, comorbidities, and currently available treatments.

Keywords: diagnosis; hidradenitis suppurativa; pathogenesis; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hidradenitis suppurativa pathophysiology: a schematic overview. Abbreviations: TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; IL, interleukin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hidradenitis suppurativa: clinical aspects.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hidradenitis suppurativa: clinical aspects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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