The following is the summary of “Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Diagnosis and Management in the Emergency Department” published in the November 2022 issue of Emergency Medicine by Okun, et al.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a persistent immune-mediated inflammatory skin condition that typically affects the groin, axillae, and inframammary parts of the body. In some cases, tunnels and scars may also be seen in addition to abscesses and inflammatory nodules that are typical of this condition. The HS diagnosis can be challenging because its symptoms are often confused with those of a localized infection of the soft tissues. This article discusses the process that must be followed in order to differentiate HS from infections of soft tissues. 

Patients who have been diagnosed with HS typically seek treatment at emergency departments (EDs) for the short-term management of acute symptoms like pain and drainage from HS lesions. These symptoms can be managed in a manner that is not permanent. This study provides emergency and urgent care physicians with up-to-date information on how to educate patients who have HS, how to begin treatment for those patients, and how to coordinate care with dermatologists and other physicians at an early stage in the course of the condition of their patients.

In this article, the latest research discoveries on the epidemiology of HS, as well as its diagnosis and therapy, are presented. There have been observations that indicate a disparity between the manner in which treatment for HS is carried out in the context of an emergency department (ED) and the manner in which HS treatment recommendations are indicated.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467922004486