Papers of the Week

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin disease with point prevalence between 1% and 4%, characterized by recurrent inflammation and painful formation of nodules in the intertriginous areas of the skin. In some patients, these lesions progress into the formation of abscesses and/or tunnels, ultimately causing restrictive scaring, and health-related quality of life impairment. Growing evidence suggests that the primary event is infundibular hyperkeratosis at the terminal follicles causing follicle dilatation and perifollicular inflammation followed by cyst formation. However, the exact aetiology of HS is still unknown, but likely multifactorial with involvement of genetic and immunological factors.