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. 2021 Jan 5;101(1):adv00364.
doi: 10.2340/00015555-3724.

Pain in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Cross-sectional Study of 1,795 Patients

Piotr K Krajewski  1 , Łukasz Matusiak, Esther von Stebut, Michael Schultheis, Uwe Kirschner, Georgios Nikolakis, Jacek C Szepietowski
Affiliations

Pain in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Cross-sectional Study of 1,795 Patients

Piotr K Krajewski et al. Acta Derm Venereol. .

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder that affects the pilosebaceous unit of the intertriginous body areas. Pain is one of the most important problems in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. The aim of this study, which included 1,795 patients, was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of pain. The intensity of pain was assessed with a numerical rating scale. In addition, pain intensity was correlated with various clinical features. Pain was reported by 83.6% of subjects. The majority of patients (77.6%) experienced mild pain; women and smokers tended to experience more intense pain. Pain intensity was greater in patients with multiple affected skin areas and correlated positively with the number of those affected areas (r = 0.151, p < 0.001). There was no difference in pain intensity between affected locations. The worst pain was observed in the patients with the most severe disease and it would weaken significantly along with the severity of hidradenitis suppurativa (assessed using the Hurley staging system and the International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System).

Keywords: acne inversa; numerical rating scale; hidradenitis suppurativa.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hidradenitis suppurativa-related pain intensity among patients, based on the numerical rating scale cut-offs.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pain numerical rating scale (NRS) points differences: (a) between Hurley severity groups; and (b) between International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System (IHS4) severity groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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