Hidradenitis Suppurativa Ups Risk of Adverse CV Events

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) may increase risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes, a new study suggests.

HS has been associated with cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, but the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with HS was unknown. The new study, published online in JAMA Dermatology, sought to qualify and quantify these risks.

Alexander Egeberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and coauthors investigated cardiovascular risk in 5,964 Danish patients with a hospital-based diagnosis of HS and 29,404 individuals from the general population without HS. They also compared patients with HS to 13,093 patients with severe psoriasis.

HS was associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and death from all causes, the study showed. Moreover, the risk of cardiovascular-associated death was higher in patients with HS compared to the risk for patients with severe psoriasis.

The study suggests HS may be a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes. "The results call for greater awareness of this association and for studies of its clinical consequences," the study authors conclude.