Special considerations for women with hidradenitis suppurativa

Erin Collier; Vivian Y Shi; Ram K Parvataneni; Michelle A Lowes; Jennifer L Hsiao

doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.02.005

Special considerations for women with hidradenitis suppurativa

Int J Womens Dermatol. 2020 Feb 19;6(2):85-88. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.02.005. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Authors

Erin Collier¹, Vivian Y Shi², Ram K Parvataneni³, Michelle A Lowes⁴, Jennifer L Hsiao⁵

Affiliations

¹ David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
² Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁴ The Rockefeller University Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, New York, NY, United States.
⁵ Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, debilitating disease that manifests as painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scars with a predilection for intertriginous sites. HS disproportionately affects women of childbearing age and often leads to impairments in patients' health-related quality of life. Women with HS face unique challenges related to menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation that require additional strategies for optimization of management. Practical interventions include lifestyle modifications, treatment of premenstrual HS flares, enhancing HS management during pregnancy, and creating optimal delivery plans in collaboration with obstetricians. This discussion is based on expert recommendations and aims to highlight the special challenges for women with HS, as well as provide a practical discourse on optimizing care of female patients with HS.

Keywords: Hidradenitis suppurativa; Inflammatory skin disease; Lactation; Pregnancy; Women’s health.

Publication types

Review