Impact of Hidradenitis Suppurativa on Sexual Quality of Life

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects about 1% of the world's population. It is characterized by round, painful nodules, abscesses or sinuses, often in the genital area. HS has the worst impact on quality of life (QoL) of any dermatological condition. Methods: The aim of this systematic review is to analyze how HS affects patients' sexual quality of life (SQoL), herein defined as a person's evaluation of their sexual relationships, including physical and mental aspects, and their response to this evaluation. Results: The systematic search yielded 41 primary results. After screening, 6 studies were selected for this review. Men with HS suffer from lower SQoL than male controls and sexual dysfunction is more common in both male and female patients than in controls. Sexual dysfunction is worse in all HS patients than in controls, and worse in female patients than in male patients. Disease severity is not related to any of the sexual concepts analysed. Conclusions: HS has a strong impact on SQoL, as patients suffer from sexual dysfunction and sexual distress more often than healthy controls, and feel that their relationships are negatively affected by the disease. Therefore, the impact of HS on SQoL should be further investigated, especially the psychological aspect of SQoL.