Women of Childbearing Age With Hidradenitis Suppurativa Frequently Prescribed Medications With Pregnancy Risk

Copy: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) disproportionately affects women of childbearing age. As almost half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, dermatologists must give special consideration to medication safety when managing patients in this population.

We conducted a population-based cross-sectional analysis utilizing the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2007 to 2018 (most recent years available) in order to characterize the treatment modalities most commonly being used for treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa in women of childbearing age.

There were 43.8 million estimated total visits for females ages 15 to 44 with HS. Women of childbearing age with HS were most commonly seen by general and family practice (28.6%), general surgery (26.9%), and dermatologists (24.6%). Obstetricians saw 1.84% of all visits. Oral clindamycin was the most commonly prescribed drug, followed by amoxicillin-clavulanate, minocycline, naproxen, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Adalimumab was prescribed at an estimated 10.3 thousand visits (0.211%). At visits in which medication from the 30 most common therapies was prescribed, 31% of visits included a medication that was pregnancy category C or above.

Nearly a third of women of childbearing age with HS are receiving medications considered teratogenic. As many female patients feel that their physicians are not counseling them regarding the impact of HS therapy on childbearing, the results of this study serve as a reminder to dermatologists and non-dermatologists managing skin disease to continue to facilitate conversations about potential pregnancy risk when prescribing medications with pregnancy risk. Peck G, Fleischer AB Jr. Women of childbearing age with hidradenitis suppurativa frequently prescribed medications with pregnancy risk. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(7):706-709. doi:10.36849/JDD.6818.