Study: Elevated Obstetric Risks in Women With Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Key Takeaways

• Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in pregnancy was associated with higher odds of hypertensive disorders, cesarean delivery, and preterm birth in a large meta-analysis presented at AAD 2026.
• Investigators reported no statistically significant differences in preeclampsia or stillbirth.
• Findings were based on pooled data from more than 15 million pregnancies across 5 studies.

Women with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) had significantly higher odds of hypertensive disorders (OR = 1.81), cesarean delivery (OR = 1.34), and preterm birth (OR = 1.20) compared with those without HS, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

Researchers analyzed data from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases through May 2025 and identified 5 studies for inclusion in the analysis (comprising 15,192,650 pregnancies). The study evaluated maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by HS versus those without the condition using random-effects models.

According to the results, HS was associated with increased odds of hypertensive disorders (OR = 1.81; 95% CI, 1.49 to 2.20; P < 0.001), cesarean delivery (OR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.65; P = 0.006), and preterm birth (OR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.43; P = 0.035). No statistically significant differences were observed for preeclampsia (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.40; P = 0.057) or stillbirth (OR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.57 to 2.06; P = 0.810).

The authors noted HS is often linked with comorbidities like obesity, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, which could also contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Limitations include the small number of included studies and potential comorbidity confounders.

“In pregnant women with HS, we found a higher risk of hypertensive disorders, cesarean delivery, and preterm birth,” the authors wrote. “These findings contribute to the knowledge that HS increased risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.”

Source: Karine Matos de Albuquerque, Luisa Medeiros Visentini, Maria Luiza Rodrigues Defante, Lorena Oliveira Fonseca MD, Alice Villa Bella Meirelles, Pablo Augusto Araujo Silva MD, and Evardo Barros de Deus Nunes Junior MD. Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Poster 73335. Presented at: American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting; March 27-31, 2026; Denver.