Prevalence Estimates for Hidradenitis Suppurativa among Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Gender- and Age-Adjusted Population Analysis

The prevalence of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in the pediatric population is unknown. We sought to establish standardized overall as well as gender-, age-, and race-specific prevalence estimates of HS among children and adolescents in the United States. We performed a cross-sectional analysis in a heterogeneous sample of 55 million patients across all census regions. We identified 1,240 patients with HS in whom the ratio of girls to boys was 3.8:1. Almost all (96.8%) patients with HS were >= 10 years of age. Overall, HS prevalence was 0.028%, or 28.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.5-29.7) per 100,000 children and adolescents. Standardized prevalence was higher in girls (44.6 [95% CI 41.8-47.5] per 100,000), in patients aged 15-17 years (113.7 [95% CI 106.4-121.4] per 100,000), and among African Americans (78.7 [95% CI 71.0-86.9] per 100,000). Highest prevalence of HS was observed among female adolescents aged 15-17 years who were African Americans (525.1 [95% CI 459.4-597.5] per 100,000) and biracial (253.2 [95% CI 121.4-465.6] per 100,000). Patients with HS who went undiagnosed were not captured, and as such prevalence estimates may be underestimated. HS appears to be a postpubertal disease that disproportionately afflicts girls and African Americans in the pediatric population.