Prevalence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. The prevalence of HS is underreported worldwide; moreover, the epidemiological studies about HS in Saudi Arabia are scarce. Therefore, this study was performed to explore the prevalence in Saudi Arabia.

This study was a part of the Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas (GHiSA) initiative. This study was a single-center study in tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All relevant data were collected after obtaining a written informed consent, and data were analyzed accordingly. The study was conducted between March and May 2023. The participants were healthy adults accompanying a child or adult in internal medicine or pediatrics outpatient clinics. The diagnosis was done clinically by an expert physician.

In total, 688 individuals were included; the estimated prevalence of HS is a minimum of 4.07% within the sample. The utilized questionnaire has a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 15%.

The high prevalence of HS in Saudi population necessitates more education to the community and health care providers for early diagnosis and management.