Does Alexithymia Affect Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa?

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition.
• HS significantly impacts patients' psychosocial well-being.
• Alexithymia, characterized by emotional processing difficulties, is understudied in HS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of alexithymia in HS patients.
• To investigate the association between alexithymia and clinical parameters in HS.
• To explore the relationship between alexithymia and psychosocial factors in HS.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 123 adult HS patients.
• Assessed HS severity using Hurley staging and IHS4.
• Evaluated alexithymia via the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).
• Measured pain, pruritus, psychological burden (PHQ-9, GAD-7, HADS), illness acceptance (AIS), and quality of life (DLQI, HiSQoL).

Main Results:

• Alexithymia was present in 13.8% of patients; 22.0% had intermediate levels.
• Females reported greater difficulty identifying feelings (p=0.025).
• No significant link between overall alexithymia and HS severity (e.g., IHS4).
• Externally oriented thinking (EOT) correlated with higher HS severity.
• Alexithymia strongly associated with depression, anxiety, poor quality of life, and lower illness acceptance.

Conclusions:

• Alexithymic traits are prevalent in HS and linked to psychosocial distress.
• Alexithymia assessment, including its specific domains, offers valuable insights for HS care.
• Integrating alexithymia evaluation supports a multidisciplinary approach to managing HS.