Chronic medical, psychiatric comorbidities common in paediatric hidradenitis suppurativa

Children with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are prone to a number of metabolic, endocrinologic, dermatologic, psychiatric, and genetic comorbidities, including obesity, anxiety, and acne vulgaris, according to the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for original investigations wherein the prevalence or association of paediatric HS with comorbidities were assessed. They used key search terms for paediatric HS and different categories of comorbidities.

A total 19 studies, which involved 17,267 paediatric patients with HS, were included. The mean age ranged between 12 and 17 years, and more than three-fourths (76.7 percent) were female. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects modelling, and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.

Pooled data showed that acne vulgaris was the most prevalent comorbidity (pooled proportion, 43 percent, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 21–65). This was followed by obesity (pooled proportion, 37 percent, 95 percent CI, 27–46), anxiety (pooled proportion, 18 percent, 95 percent CI, 4‒31), and hirsutism (pooled proportion, 14 percent, 95 percent CI, 6–21).

In multiple studies, paediatric patients with HS presented with concurrent obesity or depression (moderate-certainty evidence). Meanwhile, three studies showed an association between paediatric HS and diabetes (low-certainty evidence).

The findings underscore the importance of comprehensive comorbidity screening clinical guidelines for paediatric patients with HS and the need to involve multidisciplinary teams to achieve this, as the researchers pointed out.