Abstract
Background: Pain is a core symptom of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and is of complex, multifactorial origin. HS patients frequently report typical neuropathic pain qualities, but its prevalence has been poorly described. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examine the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) component and related pain-characteristics of a hospital-based cohort of patients with symptomatic HS. We administered the pain-DETECT tool (PDQ), a validated screening tool for NP, collecting clinical and patient-reported data on pain, pruritus and pain-management. We obtained 110 complete datasets from symptomatic HS patients (49.1% females; Hurley I (27.3%])–II (45.5%)–III (27.3%)). According to the PDQ tool, 30% of patients were classified with a high probability (>90%) of neuropathic pain (LNP). LNP status was significantly associated with increased pain severity, disease activity, pruritus intensity and use of pain medication. Regression analysis showed a significant impact of the PDQ score on patient-reported outcomes, including pain severity and the dimensions of activity and affective pain interference. HS patients may present a mixed chronic pain phenotype with a neuropathic component, thus requiring additional pain-assessments. A multi-modal approach to pain management, in combination with disease-specific treatment, should be implemented in future interventional studies.
Highlights
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, auto-inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful, deep seated, highly inflamed nodules and draining tunnels in the intertriginous areas of the body [1,2,3]
The prevalence of a neuropathic pain component in almost one-third of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients in our study is in line with the results of a previous retrospective study, using the Pain-DETECT questionnaire (PDQ) tool
PDQ-LNP status was significantly associated with pruritus and increased intensity scores, further confirming the potential presence of a neuropathic-like pain component in HS patients
Summary
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, auto-inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful, deep seated, highly inflamed nodules and draining tunnels in the intertriginous areas of the body [1,2,3]. HS patients frequently report typical neuropathic pain-qualities, such as “shooting”, “itchy”, “blinding”, “stinging” and “burning” sensations, as well as chronic pruritus [7]. The prevalence of a neuropathic pain component in the HS patient population is poorly described but has been consistently reported in other chronic inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and atopic dermatitis [8,9,10]. HS patients frequently report typical neuropathic pain qualities, but its prevalence has been poorly described. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examine the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) component and related pain-characteristics of a hospital-based cohort of patients with symptomatic HS. Regression analysis showed a significant impact of the PDQ score on patient-reported outcomes, including pain severity and the dimensions of activity and affective pain interference. A multi-modal approach to pain management, in combination with disease-specific treatment, should be implemented in future interventional studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
