Improving the disease awareness: how a communication campaign brings hidradenitis suppurativa to the light.

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin disease that presents a recurrence of painful and suppurating lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing regions, with a strong impact on the patients' life quality. Despite its peculiar presentation, early forms are often underestimated by patients and this would inevitably result in late diagnosis and delayed therapy.

OBJECTIVES

Improved communication around the disease could facilitate self-diagnosis and a quicker response from healthcare practitioners, especially in this moment when we dispose of effective treatment against this disease.

METHODS

A HS awareness campaign was conducted for 2 years with the help of a media agency and a patients' association.

RESULTS

Results confirm that a better communication has a strong impact on the disease awareness.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper demonstrates that the more this disease awareness is carried on, the more quick, effective and efficient the patient's management could be.