Dapsone in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pharmacology
• Systematic Review

Background:

• Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting apocrine gland areas.
• HS treatment faces challenges due to drug resistance, comorbidities, and complications.
• Dapsone is an antibiotic used for HS, but evidence supporting its efficacy is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on the efficacy of dapsone in treating hidradenitis suppurativa.
• To evaluate the current evidence base for dapsone as an HS treatment.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across Cochrane, PubMed, and CINAHL databases.
• Relevant articles were identified and included for review.

Main Results:

• Seven studies with 135 patients were analyzed.
• Approximately 62.2% of patients showed some improvement with dapsone treatment.
• Confounding results were noted as only three studies used dapsone monotherapy, making it difficult to isolate its specific effect.

Conclusions:

• The overall quality of evidence supporting dapsone for HS is weak.
• Despite limited evidence, dapsone is recommended in current national HS treatment guidelines.
• There is a critical need for well-designed randomized controlled trials to establish dapsone's effectiveness in HS treatment.