Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), also known as acne inversa, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition primarily affecting apocrine gland-rich areas of the body causing painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring. Prevalence rates of up to 4% have been estimated. It has a great impact on the patients’ quality of life, deeply affecting social, working, and psychological aspects. Moreover, HS patients can suffer from a variety of comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis. Early diagnosis of HS is very important in order to ensure the best possible course of this stigmatizing and painful disease. However, there is no definitive laboratory test to diagnose HS, and the diagnosis takes, in median, 7 years to be made. Dermatologists are often faced with treating a severe form of the disease that does not respond to conventional therapies (e.g., immunosuppressants, topical and systemic antibiotics), and patients also know that none of these agents work well enough. Therefore, the management of HS patients is difficult and substantially increases health care resource utilization and costs. Nowadays, HS remains a challenging disease to treat, and patients often need a multidisciplinary approach. Thus, more research is needed to understand this chronic inflammatory skin condition and improve patient outcomes.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a conclusive update on HS in order to improve the health and quality of life of patients with HS. We welcome the submission of Review, Original Research, and Clinical Trial data that cover all aspects of HS including pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), also known as acne inversa, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition primarily affecting apocrine gland-rich areas of the body causing painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring. Prevalence rates of up to 4% have been estimated. It has a great impact on the patients’ quality of life, deeply affecting social, working, and psychological aspects. Moreover, HS patients can suffer from a variety of comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis. Early diagnosis of HS is very important in order to ensure the best possible course of this stigmatizing and painful disease. However, there is no definitive laboratory test to diagnose HS, and the diagnosis takes, in median, 7 years to be made. Dermatologists are often faced with treating a severe form of the disease that does not respond to conventional therapies (e.g., immunosuppressants, topical and systemic antibiotics), and patients also know that none of these agents work well enough. Therefore, the management of HS patients is difficult and substantially increases health care resource utilization and costs. Nowadays, HS remains a challenging disease to treat, and patients often need a multidisciplinary approach. Thus, more research is needed to understand this chronic inflammatory skin condition and improve patient outcomes.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a conclusive update on HS in order to improve the health and quality of life of patients with HS. We welcome the submission of Review, Original Research, and Clinical Trial data that cover all aspects of HS including pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment.
