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Hidradenitis Suppurativa

  • Jimmy Tam Huy Pham and Raul A. Lopez-Gonzalez
Published/Copyright: October 1, 2014
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Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
From the journal Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Volume 114 Issue 10

A 25-year-old man had mucopurulent discharge from multiple abscesses and sinuses (pictured) in the right axillary and inguinal regions that began 2 and 6 months ago, respectively. He had nodular swellings in the groin and a mildly raised temperature. Medical, surgical, family, and social histories and allergy were noncontributory. Hidradenitis suppurativa was diagnosed on the basis of history and clinical findings. Wide surgical excision of the nodules under general anesthesia was performed, and the patient recovered with excellent response.

Hidradenitis suppurativa, also known as acne inversa and Verneuil disease, is a chronic, inflammatory disease with recurrent painful subcutaneous nodules, typically after puberty and most commonly in the axilla and inguinoperianal regions.1 Other symptoms include burning, pruritus, local warmth, and hyperhidrosis. It is generally diagnosed clinically without laboratory tests.2 It affects women more frequently than men (3:1), and there have been reports of autosomal dominant inheritance.3

Oral antibiotics with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties are often first-line therapy. Osteopathic physicians should communicate the best preventive, medical, and psychological care strategy on the basis of the patient's presentation and circumstances.4 In extensive disease, wide surgical excision can dramatically improve the patient's quality of life.

From Midwestern University/Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale (Student Doctor Pham) and the Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona (Dr Lopez-Gonzalez)
Address correspondence to Raul A. Lopez-Gonzalez, MD, 10238 E Hampton Ave, Suite 301B, Mesa, AZ 85209-3322. E-mail:

  1. Financial Disclosures: None reported.

  2. Support: None reported.

References

1 Verneuil A . Etudes sur les tumeurs de la peau et quelques maladies des glandes sudoripores. Arch Gen Med.1854;4:693-705.Search in Google Scholar

2 Collier F Smith RC Morton CA . Diagnosis and management of hidradenitis suppurativa. BMJ. 2013;346:f2121. doi:10.1136/bmj.f2121.10.1136/bmj.f2121Search in Google Scholar PubMed

3 Von Der Werth JM Williams HC Raeburn JA . The clinical genetics of hidradenitis suppurativa revisited. Br J Dermatol.2000;142(5):947-953. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.2000.03476.x.10.1046/j.1365-2133.2000.03476.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed

4 Shah N . Hidradenitis suppurativa: a treatment challenge. Am Fam Physician. 2005;72(8):1547-1552.Search in Google Scholar
Received: 2014-04-18
Revised: 2014-06-13
Accepted: 2014-06-23
Published Online: 2014-10-01
Published in Print: 2014-10-01

© 2014 The American Osteopathic Association

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2014.162
Creative Commons
BY-NC-ND 4.0

Articles in the same Issue

  1. SURF
  2. I Am Osteopathic Medicine Indeed
  3. Editorial
  4. Improving Osteopathic Medical Training in Providing Health Care to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients
  5. Special Report
  6. Gray Zone: Why a Delayed Acceptance of Osteopathic Medicine Persists in the International Community
  7. Letters to the Editor
  8. Wikipedia vs Peer-Reviewed Medical Literature for Information About the 10 Most Costly Medical Conditions–I
  9. Wikipedia vs Peer-Reviewed Medical Literature for Information About the 10 Most Costly Medical Conditions–II
  10. Wikipedia vs Peer-Reviewed Medical Literature for Information About the 10 Most Costly Medical Conditions–III
  11. Wikipedia vs Peer-Reviewed Medical Literature for Information About the 10 Most Costly Medical Conditions–IV
  12. Response
  13. Original Contribution
  14. Changes in Rat Spinal Cord Gene Expression After Inflammatory Hyperalgesia of the Joint and Manual Therapy
  15. Deformations Experienced in the Human Skin, Adipose Tissue, and Fascia in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
  16. Medical Education
  17. Acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients, Attitudes About Their Treatment, and Related Medical Knowledge Among Osteopathic Medical Students
  18. A Call to Include Medical Humanities in the Curriculum of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and in Applicant Selection
  19. Case Report
  20. Secondary Pseudoainhum in a Patient With Turner Syndrome
  21. The Somatic Connection
  22. “ As the Twig Is Bent, so Grows the Tree”: Part 4
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  25. Dose-Response Research in Chiropractic Care and Possible Comparisons With OMT
  26. How to Win the Match Against Tennis Elbow: A Comparison of Different Techniques
  27. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Induces Enhanced Intracellular Immune Response
  28. Clinical Images
  29. Hidradenitis Suppurativa
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