Emotional Well-Being Is Impaired in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients.

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory condition.

OBJECTIVE

To measure emotional well-being in HS patients and compare to other populations, assess if there is an effect of disease severity on emotional well-being, and determine if emotional well-being is correlated with quality of life and depression.

METHODS

A total of 153 HS subjects were recruited, and 66 Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) surveys assessing emotional well-being were completed. Norms for comparison populations (disease-free undergraduates and adults) were used. A validated self-assessment tool was used to determine disease severity. Subjects completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to examine depression and quality of life, respectively.

RESULTS

HS subjects had lower positive affect than undergraduates and higher negative affect than adults. There were no differences in PANAS scores by Hurley stage (p > 0.05). PANAS scores for HS subjects correlated with worse quality of life (r = 0.66, p < 0.00001) and depression (r = 0.74, p < 0.00001).

CONCLUSION

HS patients have poor emotional well-being. PANAS scores correlated with worse quality of life and depression. Providing appropriate resources and treatments may be beneficial for HS patients.