Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with hidradenitis suppurativa: Results from a multicenter cross-sectional study

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is often associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis). However, the prevalence of IBD in HS patients is unknown.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of IBD in HS patients, and determine if patients with HS and IBD have a distinct HS phenotype.

Methods: For this multicenter, cross-sectional study, HS patients were asked during their first consultation if they had IBD. The diagnosis of IBD was checked in the medical files, and clinical characteristics were collected.

Results: IBD had a prevalence of 3.3% (95% CI 2.3-4.4) in 1076 HS patients. The prevalence of Crohn's disease was 2.5% (95% CI 1.6-3.4) and the prevalence of ulcerative colitis was 0.8% (95% CI 0.3-1.4). HS-IBD patients were less frequently obese (13.9% vs 31.2%, P = .04) than HS-only patients, but there were no differences in gender, family history of HS, disease severity, body areas affected by HS, or smoking status.

Limitations: The prevalence might be underestimated since HS patients might still develop IBD.

Conclusion: The prevalence of IBD in HS patients (3.3%) is 4-8 times higher than the prevalence in the general northern European population (0.41%-0.74%), however HS-IBD patients do not have a distinct HS phenotype.