Racial Differences in Disease Characteristics of Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Understanding the potential racial differences in presentation, severity, and outcomes of pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can help deliver equitable and individualized care, especially as this condition is increasingly being acknowledged in this population. We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of 70 pediatric patients diagnosed with HS who were seen at our institution. There was no statistically significant difference in biologic treatments between non-Hispanic Black (NHB) patients when compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients, although NHW patients overall received biologic therapy more frequently (17.4%) than NHB patients (12.8%). The observed racial differences in pediatric HS highlight the need for further investigation of possible underlying factors contributing to disease heterogeneity and treatment response to optimize the care provided and patient outcomes.