Atopic dermatitis is associated with hidradenitis suppurativa diagnosis: A single institution retrospective cohort studyCapsule Summary

• Main Authors: Rayan N. Kaakati, MD, John Tanaka, MD, Beiyu Liu, PhD, Rachael Ward, MS, MD, Amanda S. Macleod, MD, Cynthia L. Green, PhD, Tarannum Jaleel, MD, MHSc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-09-01
• Series: JAAD International
• Subjects: atopic dermatitis; barrier defect; clinical research; hidradenitis suppurativa; inflammatory skin diseases; notch signaling
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666328721000304

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and atopic dermatitis (AD) are both chronic inflammatory skin diseases. An association between these 2 conditions can have important potential implications for elucidating pathogenesis, disease course, and treatment. Objective: To investigate the association between AD and HS. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients seen at Duke University Medical Center from 2007 to 2017 who had AD compared with a control group without an AD diagnosis. The association of AD and HS was evaluated using a logistic regression model after adjusting for other confounders including age, sex, and race. Results: Of 28,780 patients with an AD diagnosis, 325 (1.1%) were diagnosed with HS compared with 76 (0.2%) within the 48,383 patients in the non-AD group. An adjusted logistic regression model demonstrated an increased odds ratio of having HS diagnosis in the AD group as compared with the control non-AD group (odds ratio: 5.57, 95% confidence interval: 4.30-7.21, P < .001). Limitations: This was a retrospective study performed at a single institution with the possibility of surveillance bias being present. Conclusions: Patients with AD are more likely to be diagnosed with HS than patients without AD. Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiologic mechanism and potential treatment implications.