| E-IJD EPIDEMIOLOGY ROUND |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 67
| Issue : 6 | Page : 835 |
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Perception and knowledge of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Greece: A cross-sectional study of 1301 individuals
Aikaterini I Liakou1, Marios Papadakis2, Andreas G Tsantes3, Konstantina A Tsante3, Georgios Kontochristopoulos1, Ioannis Marnelakis1, Alexandros Katoulis4, Stamatios Grigoriou1, Dimitris Rigopoulos1
1 Department of Dermatology-Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Medicine, “Andreas Sygros” Hospital for Cutaneous and Venereal Diseases, Athens, Greece
2 University of Witten Herdecke, Department of Surgery II, Wuppertal, Germany
3 Laboratory of Haematology and Blood Bank Unit, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
4 Second Department of Dermatology-Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Medicine, “Attikon” General University Hospital, Athens, Greece
Correspondence Address:
Aikaterini I Liakou
First Department of Dermatology-Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Medicine, Andreas Sygros Hospital for Cutaneous and Venereal Diseases, 5 I. Dragoumi Street, GR-16121, Kaisariani, Athens
Greece
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijd.ijd_622_21
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Background: Hidradenitis suppurutiva (HS) is a chronic auto-inflammatory disease with recurrent painful deep-seated nodules. Aims: The aim of this study was to qualitatively assess patients' perception for HS. Methods: A descriptive two-step questionnaire survey was conducted from January 2017 to December 2018. The survey was performed through self-assessed, online, standardized questionnaires. Clinico-epidemiological characteristics, medical history, comorbidities, personal perceptions and the impact of the disease on participants' professional and everyday life were recorded. Results: A total number of 1301 Greek people completed the questionnaire. Of them, 676 (52%) reported symptoms resembling HS, whereas 206 (16%) reported that have been officially diagnosed with HS. The mean age of the study group was 39.2 ± 11.3 years. More than half of the diagnosed patients (n = 110, 53.3%) reported that they developed their first symptoms between 12 and 25 years of age. Of the diagnosed patients (n = 206), the majority (n = 140, 68.0%) were females and active smokers (n = 124, 60.1%). Seventy-nine (n = 79, 38.3%) patients reported a positive family history for HS. Ninety-nine (n = 99, 48.1%) patients reported that HS has a negative effect on their social life, 95 (46.1%) on personal life, 115 (55.8%) on sexual life, 163 (79.1%) on their mental health and 128 (62.1%) on their overall quality of life. Conclusion: Our study showed that HS seems to be an underteated, time-consuming and cost-intensive disease.
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