A Comparison of Alternative Medicine Users and Non-Users in Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa patients often seek non-prescription therapies.

To determine the prevalence of alternative medicine use and characterize the differences between patients who report using alternative medications versus those who do not.

We surveyed 67 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa regarding demographics, alternative medicine use, disease severity, and quality of life.

25 (37.2%) of the HS subjects reported alternative medicine use. Alternative medicine users tended to be younger (36.7 vs 40.8 years), have a shorter time since diagnosis (12.6 vs14.6 years), and reported worse quality of life (14.1 vs 11.0) than non-users. These differences were not statistically significant.

Limitations included a small sample size.

Alternative medicine use among patients with hidradenitis is common regardless of disease severity; even mild disease may drive patients to seek alternative treatment. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(10):1072-1074. doi:10.36849/JDD.6046.