Hidradenitis Suppurativa Incidence and Prevalence Rates Are Increasing: A Population-based Study

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease associated with a heavy burden of morbidity and cost. Objectives: To provide standardized estimates of trends in HS incidence and prevalence among patients in Israel between 2016 and 2019. Methods: We conducted a population-based analysis of routinely collected electronic health records data from Clalit Health Services, the largest nationwide public health service provider in Israel. Age- and sex-adjusted rates were reported by using the standard European population as a reference. Results: The study included 3488 HS incident cases. The mean ± SD age of onset was 30.3 years and was similar in males and females. HS was more common among Jews with low and medium socioeconomic status. The annual HS incidence rate increased throughout the study period. HS prevalence increased from 0.12% in 2016 to 0.17% in 2019. Conclusions: HS prevalence and incidence rates steadily rose among the Israeli population between 2016 and 2019. Awareness of these findings can help provide an optimal allocation of healthcare resources by policymakers and health service providers and prevent delays in diagnosis.