WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 -- Smoking cessation is associated with a reduced risk for developing hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), according to a study published online Aug. 21 in JAMA Dermatology.

Seong Rae Kim, M.D., from the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, and colleagues examined the association between changes in smoking status and HS development in a population-based cohort study. The primary cohort included participants from the Korean National Health Insurance Database who had undergone two consecutive biennial health examinations (2004 to 2005 and 2006 to 2007). The secondary cohort (within the primary cohort) included individuals who underwent all biennial health examinations throughout follow-up and maintained their smoking status from 2006 to 2007.

A total of 6,230,189 participants were enrolled; 3,761 HS events occurred during 84,457,025 person-years of follow-up. The researchers found that in the primary cohort, HS risk was lower for those who smoked initially but then quit (smoking quitters), those who maintained cessation status throughout, and those who never smoked compared with those who consistently reported active smoking (sustained smokers; adjusted hazard ratios, 0.68, 0.67, and 0.57, respectively). HS risk was similar for those who initially quit smoking but resumed by 2006 to 2007 (new smokers) and for sustained smokers. The results of the secondary cohort aligned with these results, with a more pronounced risk reduction seen for smoking cessation (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.57).

"Smoking cessation and maintaining a smoke-free lifestyle may be important preventive measures against the development of HS," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.