Hidradenitis suppurativa disease control associated with type of hormonal contraceptive use

Abstract

Abstract Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful chronic skin condition of apocrine gland regions. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the impact of hormonal contraception type on HS disease control in adult women. In total, 160 patients were included, with the majority identifying as Black or African American (73.1%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that oestrogen–progesterone users were 3.14 times more likely to experience stable or improved HS than progesterone-only users (adjusted odds ratio 3.14, 95% CI 1.18–8.35; P = 0.02). Further investigation is needed to elucidate the antiandrogenic mechanisms affecting HS symptom response to hormonal contraceptives.