Hydradenitus Supperativa (HS) Q: What is Hydradenitus Supperativa?
Dr. Donnica: Hidradenitus Supperativa (HS) has been called by many other names including “acne inversa,” but it is not well known among patients or physicians. Its name describes its appearance: oozing, inflamed sweat glands. This sometimes debilitating autoimmune disorder appears as severe, recurrent boils. Unfortunately, it can often take up to 10 years to diagnose this condition correctly because of limited awareness by healthcare professionals and extreme embarrassment from the nearly one million Americans who suffer from it. Of even greater concern is that its cause is unknown, there is no known consistently effective treatment, and no major research effort under way to aggressively seek a cure. HS is a non-contagious, recurrent skin disease usually found in areas of the body where there is skin-to-skin contact (such as armpits, groin, thighs, and under breasts) and around hair follicles where apocrine sweat glands are located. Characteristically, it progresses from boils or absce
