HS vs Psoriasis: Which Has the Greater Impact on QoL?

Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) have a higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL) burden than those with psoriasis, according to the results of a recent study.

For their study, researchers used weighted averages of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Total Work Productivity Impairment, Dermatology Life Quality Index, EuroQOL 5D VAS, and Short Form-36 Health Survey were used to compared HS and psoriasis patients.
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Overall, patients with HS reported higher scores for VAS-pain (54.3 vs 36.1), Dermatology Life Quality Index (15.3 vs 11.3), EuroQOL 5D VAS (58.8 vs 50.8), and Total Work Productivity Impairment (35.4 vs 18.2), compared with patients with psoriasis, while those with HS had lower Short Form-36 Health Survey scores than those with psoriasis (physical, 39.6 vs 49.0; mental, 41.5 vs 47.5).

“Patients with HS have a higher HRQoL burden than patients with psoriasis. This study clearly documents the needs of patients with HS and the potential impact of medical, scientific, and societal consensus for the development of more effective HS treatments,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Hamzavi IH, Sundaram M, Nicholson C, et al. Uncovering burden disparity: A comparative analysis of the impact of moderate-to-severe psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa [published online September 13, 2017]. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2017.07.027.