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CLINICAL REPORT
Clinical Characteristics of Pruritus and Pain in Patients with
Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Łukasz MATUSIAK, Justyna SZCZĘCH, Karolina KAAZ, Edyta LELONEK and Jacek C. SZEPIETOWSKI
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
A growing body of research has indicated that pruri-
tus is an important feature of hidradenitis suppurativa
(HS). This study evaluated pruritus and pain among
103 patients with HS. Pruritus and pain intensity were
assessed with a visual analogue scale, numerical ra-
ting scale and 4-item Itch Questionnaire. Dermatology
Life Quality Index (DLQI) was implemented to assess
quality of life (QoL) issues. Various clinical features
and factors influencing pruritus were also examined.
Pruritus and pain during the last week were reported
among 41.7% and 77.5% of patients, respectively. The
presence of pruritus did not have an impact on DLQI,
nor did it show interaction with the pain in this regard.
The presence of pain was a crucial contributor, even
more relevant than disease severity. Nonetheless,
intensity of pruritus correlated positively with DLQI.
The most troublesome symptom of HS was pain, fol-
lowed by exudation, pruritus, appearance and smell,
consecutively. Pruritus of mild-to-moderate intensity
is a common HS-associated symptom that adversely
affects patients’ QoL.
Key words: hidradenitis suppurativa; acne inversa; pain; pruri-
tus; visual analogue scale; numerical rating scale.
Accepted Oct 2, 2017; Epub ahead of print Oct 3, 2017
Acta Derm Venereol 2018; 98: 191–194.
Corr: Jacek C. Szepietowski, Department of Dermatology, Venereology
and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Chałubińskiego 1, PL-50-368
Wrocław, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]
H
idradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflamma-
tory, debilitating disease of a relapsing nature, pre-
dominantly involving nodules, abscesses and suppurating
lesions of the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the skin. The
estimated prevalence of HS is approximately 1% of the
general population, wi