Incidence and Prevalence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Hidradenitis is a chronic relapsing follicular occlusive disease with a widely variable reported prevalence. The exact prevalence and incidence of HS is unknown. Objectives To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature to estimate the global incidence and prevalence of HS. Methods Literature searches were performed on Medline, Embase, and Pubmed to identify studies reporting incidence and/or prevalence of HS. Pooled estimates of prevalence and incidence were calculated with a meta-analysis of proportions. Results In total, 12 studies were included (Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, UK, USA) comprising a total population of 53,805,690. Eleven studies reported prevalence. The pooled proportion of individuals in the general population with HS was 0.36% (95% CI 0.21 - 0.56). Self-reported HS gave a higher prevalence estimate than clinician-diagnosed HS. HS is more prevalent in women. Average annual incidence of HS was 28.5 cases/100,000 (95% CI 26.8 – 30.1). Conclusions We estimated the global prevalence of HS to be 0.36% with 3:2 female predominance and average annual incidence to be 28.5 cases/100,000.