Overall and subgroup prevalence of acne vulgaris among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Abstract

Background Evidence establishing a link between acne vulgaris (AV) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is limited, and the burden of AV in adults with HS is unknown. Objective To determine the prevalence of AV among adults with HS and determine the strength of this association. Methods Cross-sectional analysis identifying adults with AV among patients with and without HS by using electronic health record data from a population-based sample of more than 55 million patients. Results The prevalence of AV among adults with HS was 15.2% (7315 of 48,085) compared with 2.9% (497,360 of 16,899,470) for adults without HS (P Limitations Influence of disease severity in HS, or in acne, on the strength of the association could not be assessed. Conclusion Patients with HS may benefit from assessment of acne status and optimization of comanagement strategies.