TOPLINE:

In a 10-year prospective study of community-based patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), 17% of nonsevere cases progressed and 63.6% achieved full remission, rates that differ markedly from tertiary care reports.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of 107 adults with HS (mean age, 47.1 years; 82.2% female) from a Danish municipality-based cohort, in a nonclinical setting.
• At baseline, 53.3% of patients had mild disease, 18.7% had moderate disease, and 28% had severe disease.
• Study outcomes were HS progression, defined as severe disease at follow-up, and HS remission, defined as no active symptoms for 6 or more months.

TAKEAWAY:

• Over a median 11.7-year follow-up (1216.5 person-years), 16.9% of patients with nonsevere HS progressed (13% progressed to severe disease); 71% (76 patients) experienced disease regression, and 63.6% (68 patients) achieved complete remission.
• When analyzed by baseline severity, complete remission was achieved in 73.7% of mild cases, 60% of moderate cases, and 46.7% of severe cases.
• Participants who achieved complete remission at follow-up were significantly more likely to have had only one affected anatomical area (73.5% vs 41.0%; P = .004).

IN PRACTICE:

“Compared to tertiary care, yearly progression and remission rates were 10.4 times lower, and 3.8 times higher respectively, suggesting prior estimates overstate disease severity by overlooking the broader HS population living in the community,” the study authors concluded.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Rune Kjaersgaard Andersen, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and was published online on November 26 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study relied on self-reported information for HS case definition and severity staging; remission was defined by a relatively short symptom-free period of 6 months. A single follow-up assessment may not fully capture the fluctuating nature of the disease and participation rate was low.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the LEO Foundation, the BRIDGE-Translational Excellence Programme at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, through the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Kjaersgaard Andersen reported receiving nonfinancial support from Eli Lilly and Company. Other authors also reported receiving research grants, advisory fees, personal fees, and financial and nonfinancial support from several pharmaceutical companies and foundations, as well as serving as editor in chief, board member, and vice president. Additional disclosures are noted in the original article.

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