Many patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are dissatisfied with treatment, according to a study published in the December issue of the British Journal of Dermatology .

Bria Midgette, from the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell in Hempstead, New York, and colleagues measured associations between treatment satisfaction and clinical and treatment-related characteristics among 1,418 patients with HS recruited from 27 institutions in 14 countries from October 2017 to July 2018. Patients' self-reported overall satisfaction with their current treatments for HS, rated from very dissatisfied to very satisfied on a 5-point scale, was reported.

The researchers found that 45 percent of patients were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current medical treatment. In an adjusted analysis, the odds of being satisfied with current treatment were increased for patients primarily treated by a dermatologist for HS versus those not primarily treated by a dermatologist (odds ratio, 1.99). Higher satisfaction was seen in association with treatment with biologics relative to treatment with nonbiologic systemic medications (odds ratio, 2.36). Lower treatment satisfaction was seen in association with smoking (active versus never: odds ratio, 0.78), depression (odds ratio, 0.69), increasing number of comorbidities (odds ratio, 0.88 per comorbidity), and increasing flare frequency.

"These results may imply low awareness around the role of dermatologists in the care of patients with HS, as well as highlighting the difficulty in accessing dermatologists," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text