Depression As a Potential Contributing Factor in Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Associated Racial Gaps

The etiology of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)-a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory disorder-is multifactorial, encompassing lifestyle, microbiota, hormonal status, and genetic and environmental factors. These factors propagate the production of deep-seated inflammatory nodules seen in HS through aberrant immune response activation and inflammation. The high prevalence of depression in individuals with HS and its association with systemic inflammation increases the likelihood that depression also may be a contributing etiology to HS. Because depression frequently has been discovered as a concomitant diagnosis in patients with HS, we hypothesize that there is a common susceptibility to depression in patients with HS, which we investigated through a literature search of articles published from 2000 to 2022 involving depression and HS.