Interesting Open Access Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Reads – February 2025
Some 96 #HidradenitisSuppurativa (HS)-related publications appeared in PubMed during February 2025. Of these, approx. 32% (31/96) were #OpenAccess.
1. BJD State-of the-Art-Reviews : Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Three (plus one) for one: One of the world’s top dermatology journals, British Journal Dermatology, published a special supplement with state-of-the-art reviews on HS. • Former BJD Editor-in-Chief Professor John Ingram sets the scene for these reviews with this engaging editorial: https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/192/Supplement_1/i1/7997105 • Professor John Frew discusses the latest insights into HS pathogenesis, which are opening new therapeutic strategies for HS in this article: https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/192/Supplement_1/i3/7997107 • Professor Chris Sayed and colleagues reflect on the tremendous progress in clinical trials for HS over the past couple of decades in this review: https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/192/Supplement_1/i15/7997104 • Dr. Lynn Petukhova and colleagues examine the latest in our understanding of the genetics of HS here: https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/192/Supplement_1/i22/7997106
Supplement link: https://academic.oup.com/bjd/issue/192/Supplement_1
Citations:
i. Ingram JR. Hidradenitis suppurativa: BJD state-of-the-art review series. Br J Dermatol. 2025 Feb 3;192(Supplement_1):i1-i2. doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljae455. PMID: 39895592 ii. Frew JW. Unravelling the complex pathogenesis of hidradenitis suppurativa. Br J Dermatol. 2025 Feb 3;192(Supplement_1):i3-i14. doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljae238. PMID: 39895594. iii. Sayed CJ, Shams RB, Midgette B, Garg A. An evolutionary tale on clinical trials in hidradenitis suppurativa. Br J Dermatol. 2025 Feb 3;192(Supplement_1):i15-i21. doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljae318. PMID: 39895591. iv. Petukhova L, Colvin A, Koerts NDK, Horváth B. Leveraging genotypes and phenotypes to implement precision medicine in hidradenitis suppurativa management. Br J Dermatol. 2025 Feb 3;192(Supplement_1):i22-i29. doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljae399. PMID: 39895593.
2. Draining Tunnels and HS
Draining tunnels are a distinctive feature of HS and cause deep distress for people. In this study, researchers sought to explore the burden of draining tunnels in patients with moderate to severe HS. The team used data from the Adelphi HS Disease Specific Programme™ to conduct a cross-sectional survey with retrospective data collection gathered from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and US. They found that patients with draining tunnels experience greater clinical and health-related quality-of-life burden than those without, underscoring the importance of draining tunnels in disease impact.
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.20550
Citation: Ingram JR, Marzano AV, Prens E, Schneider-Burrus S, Warren RB, Keal A, Jha R, Hernandez Daly AC, Kimball AB. Hidradenitis suppurativa with and without draining tunnels: A real-world study characterizing differences in treatment and disease burden. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2025 Feb 4. doi: 10.1111/jdv.20550. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39903577.
3. Adverse Risk of Cardiac Events and All-Cause Mortality in HS
In this study, a team from the USA analysed the TriNetX global database of electronic health records, to conduct a retrospective cohort study to compare the risk of adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality in people with HS compared to controls. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, the study team found an increased relative risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, heart failure, major adverse cardiac events, and for all-cause mortality.
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11856991/pdf/jcm-14-01110.pdf
Citation: Rohan TZ, Hafer R, Duong T, Dasgupta R, Yang S. Hidradenitis Suppurativa Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Adverse Cardiac Events and All-Cause Mortality. J Clin Med. 2025 Feb 9;14(4):1110. doi: 10.3390/jcm14041110. PMID: 40004643.
4. Increased Risk of Incident Alopecia Areata Among Patients with HS
HS and alopecia areata (AA) share similar inflammatory pathway and pro-inflammatory cytokines, but the association between HS and AA are unclear. This study team evaluated the risk of incident AA among patients with HS by using data from the US Collaborative Network in the TriNetX Research Network. They report a significantly increased risk of incident AA among patients with HS. Further research is needed to clarify the links between AA and HS.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2319417025000113
Citation: Gau SY, Chen CW, Wang YH, Chi CC, Wei JC. Increased risk of incident alopecia areata among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: A multicenter cohort study in the United States. Biomed J. 2025 Feb 20:100837. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2025.100837. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39986352.
5. Results from a Phase 2, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study Examining Updacitinib Use for HS
While new treatment options for HS have become available recently, more options are needed. This report highlights the main results from a phase 2 study examining the use of updacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, for patients with moderate-to-severe HS. Comparing results at Week 12 of the study showed a greater proportion of patients receiving updacitinib (n=47) achieved HiSCR50 (a 50% reduction in total abscess and inflammatory nodule count with no increase in abscess or draining fistula count relative to baseline) versus placebo (n=21). Upadacitinib’s safety profile was consistent with previous reports on dermatologic conditions.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962225001902
Citation: Ackerman LS, Schlosser BJ, Zhan T, Prajapati VH, Fretzin S, Takahashi H, Huang X, Camp HS, Kimball AB. Improvements in moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa with upadacitinib: Results from a phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Feb 4:S0190-9622(25)00190-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.12.046. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39909350.
6. Patients with Psoriasis and Suppurative Hidradenitis (PSO-SH) Share Genetic Risk Factors and Are at Risk of Increased Morbidity
The study examined and analysed clinical and genetic data from an international collection of patients with both psoriasis and HS (PSO-SH). Patients with PSO-SH were mainly female and had a higher number of comorbidities (89%), worse general physical health, and were at significantly higher risk of having Crohn’s disease compared to PSO-only or HS-only. The findings highlight a shared genetic susceptibility of HS and psoriasis at non-HLA loci. Recognising patients with PSO-SH as a distinct group with high morbidity and increased Crohn’s disease risk will help to improve patient management.
Link: https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(25)00190-2/fulltext
Citation: Wiala A, Elhage KG, Leung A, Young AT, Gregory M, Adrianto I, Zhou L, Mi QS, Kumar S, Orcales F, Yeroushalmi S, Haran K, Liu J, Naik HB, Liao W, Posch C. Patients with PSOriasis and Suppurative Hidradenitis (PSO-SH) share genetic risk factors and are at risk of increased morbidity. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Feb 8:S0190-9622(25)00255-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.02.015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39929305.
7. What Do We Know About Bacterial Infections in Hidradenitis Suppurativa?—A Narrative Review
The authors of this narrative review sought to try to understand the risk of infection in patients with HS and explored the PubMed and Scopus databases. They report that among reported infections in patients with HS, Fournier’s gangrene, osteomyelitis, Clostridium difficile infection, and biofilm were significant. A wide range of bacterial infections, from localized purulent infections to serious systemic consequences, can affect patients with HS. People with untreated or unmanaged HS are more likely to experience infectious complications.
Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/2/142
Citation: Świerczewska Z, Barańska-Rybak W. What Do We Know About Bacterial Infections in Hidradenitis Suppurativa?-A Narrative Review. Antibiotics (Basel). 2025 Feb 1;14(2):142. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics14020142. PMID: 40001386.
8. Exploring Global Natural Product Databases for NLRP3 Inhibition: Unveiling Novel Combinatorial Therapeutic Strategy for Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Among the various immunological mechanisms contributing to HS pathogeneis, the NLRP3 inflammasome is thought to contribute by releasing IL-1β and IL-18, which initiates and exacerbates inflammation. Targeting NLRP3 therefore offers a potential strategy for mitigating inflammation in HS-affected skin. The research team used the docking, molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy approaches to identify the potent inhibitor of NLRP3 by screening the African phytocompounds and traditional Chinese medicine databases and identified two lead compounds from each database. The data presented highlights their potential as part of a combinatorial therapeutic strategy for HS to effectively reduce disease-related inflammation.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034125000462?via%3Dihub
Citation: Suleman M, Murshed A, Sayaf AM, Khan A, Khan SA, Tricarico PM, Moltrasio C, Agouni A, Yeoh KK, Marzano AV, Crovella S. Exploring global natural product databases for NLRP3 inhibition: Unveiling novel combinatorial therapeutic strategy for hidradenitis suppurativa. J Infect Public Health. 2025 Feb 13;18(4):102697. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102697. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39970853.
9. The Inflammatory Landscape of a Whole-Tissue Explant Model of Hidradenitis Suppurativa
To address the lack of ex vivo assays and animal models that accurately depict HS, the authors of this study developed a standardised whole-tissue explant model of HS to examine pathogenic mechanisms and the efficacy of potential treatments within intact human tissue. They found that IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations trended upwards in both HS explants and unaffected controls, while IL-17A, IL-1β, and TNF were increased in HS tissue alone. The developed explants were responsive to treatment with both dexamethasone and IL-2.
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.70057
Citation: Leboit PE, Patel DU, Cohen JN, Moss MI, Naik HB, Yates AE, Harris HW, Klufas DM, Kim EA, Neuhaus IM, Hansen SL, Kyle RL, Kelly M, Rosenblum MD, Lowe MM. The Inflammatory Landscape of a Whole-Tissue Explant Model of Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Exp Dermatol. 2025 Feb;34(2):e70057. doi: 10.1111/exd.70057. PMID: 39930604.
10. From Basic Science to Surgery and a New Era of Tailored Targeted Therapy in HS
A group of Italian clinical HS experts offer this opinion piece on the latest in HS treatments. In their review, they discuss the in critical unmet needs in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with HS, address how disease awareness and comprehensive multidisciplinary management (involving both medical and surgical care) can benefit patients. They also review current and future therapeutic options for better management of disease progression and to fill current gaps.
Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00403-025-04016-1
Citation: Marzano AV, Bartoletti M, Bettoli V, Bianchi L, Chiricozzi A, Clerici M, Dapavo P, Dini V, Foti C, Magnoni C, Megna M, Micali G, Molinelli E, Prignano F. Hidradenitis suppurativa, from basic science to surgery and a new era of tailored targeted therapy: An expert opinion paper. Arch Dermatol Res. 2025 Feb 28;317(1):511. doi: 10.1007/s00403-025-04016-1. PMID: 40021535.
