Effect of hidradenitis suppurativa on obstetric and neonatal outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating chronic inflammatory skin disease with an often-unsatisfactory response to treatment. The objective was to evaluate the association between HS and pregnancy, delivery and neonatal outcomes.

Methods

The United States’ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to conduct a retrospective cohort study among all women who delivered between 1999 and 2015. ICD-9 code 705.83 identified those with HS, with the remaining deliveries composing the comparison group. Multivariate logistic regression compared maternal and neonatal outcomes between these two groups, while adjusting for baseline maternal variables.

Results

The study included 13,792,544 deliveries, of which 1021 were associated with an HS diagnosis (7.4/100,000 deliveries). During the observation period, there was an upward trend in the prevalence of HS among pregnant women (<0.0001). Pregnant women with HS were more likely to be African-American, to belong to a lower income quartile, and to be insured by Medicaid. They were also more likely to smoke, to be morbidly obese, and to be hypertensive. Compared with women without HS, those with HS had a greater likelihood of developing preeclampsia (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08–1.71), delivering by cesarean section (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.56–2.02), and having a baby with congenital anomalies (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.10–3.62).

Conclusions

Although HS is a complex skin disorder, pregnancies complicated by HS had comparable outcomes to non-HS pregnancies, with the exception of a greater risk of preeclampsia, cesarean sections, and congenital anomalies. Health-care providers and women should be aware of these HS associated risks.

Keywords:

• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• pregnancy
• pregnancy outcomes
• inflammatory disorder
• neonatal outcomes
• hair follicles

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.