TOPLINE

Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) started GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) more often and at a younger age than those with psoriasis or individuals from the general population. Surgeries and HS-specific antibiotic use declined after initiation; however, matched non-users also showed similar declines.

METHODOLOGY

• Using nationwide Danish National Patient and Prescription Registry data from 2000 to 2022, researchers conducted a cohort study to examine the use of GLP-1 RAs and comorbidity burden among 12,581 adults with HS (mean age, 39.2 years; 69.4% women) who were compared with 9824 matched patients with psoriasis and 12,581 matched individuals from the general population.
• GLP-1 RA initiation was defined as the first redeemed prescription of exenatide, lixisenatide, liraglutide, insulin degludec/liraglutide, semaglutide, or dulaglutide after the index date (defined as the first hospital diagnosis of HS). Comorbidities were assessed at the index date and again at initiation.
• The researchers compared 585 patients with HS who received continuous GLP-1 RA treatment for 2 years with 585 matched non-users, tracking visits, admissions, surgeries, and medication use for 2 years on either side of initiation. Changes were compared between groups using odds ratios (ORs).
• In a Danish Skin Cohort subgroup, self-reported BMI, quality of life, and HS severity were compared between 31 patients already on GLP-1 RAs and 31 matched non-users (21 pairs with active disease).

TAKEAWAY

• GLP-1 RA treatment was initiated by 8.2% of patients with HS vs 5.7% of those with psoriasis and 3.2% of individuals from the general population. Patients with HS initiated treatment earlier after diagnosis (mean, 8.88 years vs 10.1 years for those with psoriasis and 10.2 years for the general population) and at a younger age (mean, 49.6 vs 54.1 and 53.1 years, respectively; P < .001 for all).
• At GLP-1 RA initiation, type 2 diabetes affected 60.5% of patients with HS, compared with 58.8% of those with psoriasis and 48.3% of individuals from the general population.
• Among the 585 continuous GLP-1 RA users with HS, surgical procedures fell from 11.1% before initiation to 7.5% after 2 years (OR, 0.59; P = .009), and HS-specific antibiotic use fell from 7.9% to 4.9% (OR, 0.61; P = .044). All-cause hospital admissions rose (OR, 1.61; P < .001).
• Users had more surgeries before treatment. Non-users also showed declines in HS-specific antibiotic use (OR, 0.55; P = .004), and between-group differences were not significant.

IN PRACTICE

"Patients with HS initiated GLP-1RA therapy more frequently than patients with psoriasis and background population controls, reflecting a higher burden of cardiometabolic comorbidity," the authors wrote. "Randomized trials are needed to determine whether GLP-1RA therapy modifies HS disease course," they added.

SOURCE

The study was led by Valdemar Wendelboe Nielsen, Copenhagen University Hospital -Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published online on October 03, 2026, in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology.

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited by its observational design, which precluded causal conclusions, and by the lack of registry data on BMI, smoking status, and disease severity. Only hospital-diagnosed patients were included, and most prescriptions were probably for type 2 diabetes, which may have limited generalisability. The Danish Skin Cohort subgroup was underpowered and showed no significant differences at 1 year.

DISCLOSURES

The study was sponsored by Novo Nordisk A/S, which was not involved in data analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation. One author reported being a speaker or consultant or receiving research support from several companies, including Novo Nordisk. Three other authors reported having relationships with pharmaceutical companies, and two of them reported being employees of LEO Pharma. Full disclosures are reported in the original source article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.