Gut Microbiome Correlations in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients

Background/Objectives: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic autoinflammatory skin disease characterized by recurrent, painful, and persistently draining purulent lesions. Alterations in the composition of the microbiome may be associated with immune dysregulation and HS progression. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlations between the gut microbiome and HS. Methods: A total of 80 participants (40 HS patients and 40 healthy controls [HCs]) were included in this study. Each participant filled out a specially designed questionnaire, which included demographics, HS severity, physical characteristics, dietary habits, and gastrointestinal disorders. DNA isolation and sequencing of microbiota were performed from fecal samples collected from each participant. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed in the alpha diversity between the microbiota of HS and HC. Nevertheless, HS was found to significantly decrease the chances of, among others, Collinsella, Izemoplasmatales, Clostridia, Lachnospiraceae, eligens group, xylanophilum group, and Pseudoflavonifractor occurrence. Conversely, HS significantly increased the chances of Enterorhabdus, Senegalimassilia, Gastranaerophilales, Candidatus Stoquefichus, Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Holdemanella, Solobacterium, Ruminiclostridium, [Eubacterium] fissicatena group, Angelakisella, Comamonas, and Enterobacter occurrence. The logistic regression analysis, performed separately for each genus, showed a significant influence of disease severity (based on the Hurley scale) on the chances of occurrence for the following genera: Chloroplast (OR = 5.778), Dielma (OR = 5.75), Eisenbergiella (OR = 5.75) and Paludicola (OR = 5.778). Conclusions: In conclusion, our study adds to the growing body of literature on the gut microbiome in HS and provides valuable insights into the specific alterations in microbial occurrence and abundance associated with the disease.