- Page navigation anchor for RE: Role of family physicians in the management of hidradenitis suppurativaRE: Role of family physicians in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa
I thank Dr. Lee and colleagues for their very interesting review on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) (1) in the February 2017 issue of Canadian Family Physician. It is to be hoped that family physicians will be more and more acquainted with HS, as I am convinced that the role of family physicians in HS management could be more important than over the last decades.
There are at least two reasons for this. First of all, long delays in diagnosis are common since HS is frequently misdiagnosed as a simple infection (2). If untreated, the disease causes a significant morbidity. Family physicians are the first ones patients suffering from HS have a consultation with in 40-70% of the cases. Even though patients suffering from HS have consultations with one or more dermatologists, family physicians are still their primary caregivers in 15% of the patients after an HS diagnosis is received (3). Therefore, family physicians might speed up a diagnosis and facilitate the patient's access to HS-dedicated care if they acquired the skills to recognize and manage HS. Furthermore, HS is a systemic disease with a substantial comorbidity burden (4-7). Cardio-metabolic comorbidities (obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes) are not rare, as they are possibly linked to HS through common genetic and environmental factors and shared inflammatory pathways (8). Behavioral factors, such as cigarette smoking and a high body mass index (BMI)(9-10), influence HS development and lifestyl...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.
Submit a Response to This Article