Lifestyle modifications associated with symptom improvement in hidradenitis suppurativa patients.

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that substantially reduces patient quality of life. Many HS patients ask their dermatologist about potential lifestyle modifications, such as following particular diets or avoiding specific products, in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms. However, insufficient research has been conducted to support well-informed lifestyle modification counseling, and patients frequently defer to anecdotal endorsements of various interventions found on social media support groups. Therefore, we sought to clarify what lifestyle modifications were capable of improving HS symptoms. METHODS: We conducted a survey-based study to examine modifiable risk factors and their association with the severity of HS. Five hundred and ninety-one patients with HS participated in an online survey detailing the severity of their HS symptoms before and after various lifestyle interventions. Average improvements in both subjective and objective ratings of symptom severity were calculated and statistical differences between the levels of improvement seen among various categories of lifestyle interventions were determined. RESULTS: Numerous lifestyle interventions including substantial weight loss, smoking cessation, use of gentle skin and depilatory products, and menstrual regulation were associated with both subjective and objective improvements in symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that patients affected by HS may experience clinically significant improvement from a variety of lifestyle modifications.

Cutaneous Adverse Events in Newly Approved FDA Non-cancer Drugs: A Systematic Review.

The prevalence of cutaneous adverse events attributable to newly approved anti-cancer drugs has been well reviewed in the dermatologic literature. In contrast, over 75% of US Food and Drug Administration approvals in the past 5 years have been for non-cancer drugs and indications. This represents multiple other categories of approved medications associated with cutaneous adverse reactions. To investigate the cutaneous adverse events associated with these potentially neglected medications, a systematic review was conducted. Two hundred and forty-one medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration between 2013 and 2018 were reviewed and 180 non-oncologic drugs were identified. The prescribing information for each medication was reviewed for the presence of cutaneous adverse events and a supplemental literature search was performed to better characterize any adverse events outlined within the prescribing information. Most reactions were classified as morbilliform, macular, popular, or maculopapular. Fortunately, only a few severe cutaneous adverse reactions were reported, namely in benznidazole, cannabidiol, and sofosbuvir. This review summarizes available data drawn from clinical trials and case reports involving cutaneous adverse events from the 21 non-oncologic medications associated with cutaneous adverse events.