Correlation of inflammatory serum markers with disease severity in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)

Abstract

Data regarding the association of routinely obtained serum markers of inflammation, namely C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count, and neutrophil count, with disease severity of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) according to a scoring system have not been reported to our knowledge. We sought to evaluate these inflammatory serum markers for assessing disease severity of HS. Medical files of 275 patients who were referred to the outpatient HS center of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Allergology, Ruhr-University Bochum, in 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. CRP levels and neutrophil count significantly differed among Hurley stages I, II and III (P < .0001, P = .0002, respectively). There were significant positive correlations among CRP levels (r = 0.496, P < .0001) and neutrophil count (r = 0.330, P = .0009) with modified Hidradenitis Suppurativa Score. CRP was a significant independent predictor for Hurley stage III (odds ratio 1.077, 95% confidence interval 1.013-1.145, P = .016). CRP and body mass index were significant independent predictors for severe disease according to modified Hidradenitis Suppurativa Score (odds ratio 1.065, 95% confidence interval 1.015-1.117, P = .009; and odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.009-1.243, P = .032, respectively). Files were analyzed retrospectively. These inflammatory markers, especially CRP, are effective for assessing the extent of disease severity and the grade of inflammation in patients with HS.