CHICAGO – Hidradenitis suppurativa in children is often associated with comorbidities, especially obesity and endocrine abnormalities, a retrospective review of cases showed.
“When treating hidradenitis suppurativa, it is imperative to not only treat the skin but also to look for associated comorbidities,” Maria del Carmen Liy-Wong, MD, said in an interview in advance of the World Congress for Pediatric Dermatology.
Dr. Maria Liy-Wong
Of the 41 patients, 78% were girls; the mean age of onset was 11 years, and the mean age at diagnosis was 14 years. A positive family history was found in 24% of cases. The most common cutaneous lesions were papules and pustules (51%), followed by scars (39%), and 88% of patients reported associated tenderness and pain.
After using the Hurley severity grade to classify disease severity, the researchers found that 56% of cases were mild, 32% were moderate, and 12% were severe. Comorbidities were identified in 92% of the cases; the most common was obesity (73%), followed by endocrine abnormalities (29%) and menstrual irregularities (20%). The researchers also found that 70% of patients were treated with a combination of topical and systemic antibiotics, and that early onset of disease correlated with more severe disease (P = .03).
Dr. Liy-Wong acknowledged that the study’s retrospective design is a limitation of the analysis, but she said that a prospective evaluation in planned for the near future.
The study was supported in part by a grant from AbbVie. Dr. Liy-Wong reported having no relevant financial disclosures.