Exploring the Socioeconomic Factors Affecting the Care of Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

This study analyzes how socioeconomic and demographic factors affect access to hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) care for 262 pediatric patients in a single academic center. Pediatric patients with HS living in a ZIP postal code with a higher median household income had more clinical encounters (β = 3.46, p = 0.002), averaging 7.6 encounters compared to 5.4 (unadjusted) for the lowest income tertile, and greater use of laser hair removal (β = 1.63, p = 0.008), averaging 2.6 procedures versus 1.4 (unadjusted) in the lowest income tertile. Pediatric HS patients with WiFi access had more clinical encounters (β = 1.31, p = 0.016), averaging (unadjusted) 8.3 encounters compared to 6.8 for those without WiFi, and presented for their initial clinic visit at a younger age (β = -0.45, p = 0.001). Qualifying for financial assistance was associated with a later initial clinical encounter (β = 2.51, p = 0.002), with unadjusted average ages at first visit of 15.7 and 14.3 years for those who qualified and did not qualify, respectively.