WASHINGTON– Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can present early in adolescence, and the approach to treatment in pediatric patients is similar to treatment in adults, “with a few caveats,” A. Yasmine Kirkorian, MD, said in a video interview at an educational session held by George Washington University.
While the literature often states that HS starts in a person’s 20s, it primarily starts in adolescence, sometimes earlier, with a presentation that is similar to that seen in adults and appearing at the same sites, such as the armpits and groin, said Dr. Kirkorian a pediatric dermatologist at Children’s National Health System and George Washington University, Washington.
“As dermatologists, we know this. Kids are getting this disease, but we need to characterize that better in the literature so that we can start to apply the adult style therapeutics in clinical trials ... to children,” she added.
In the interview, Dr. Kirkorian discussed treatment strategies, as well as familial cases of HS and the links between HS and Down syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease in children.
The meeting was sponsored by AbbVie. Dr. Kirkorian had no financial conflicts to disclose.