Another Risk from Secondhand Smoke: Exposure May Increase the Risk of Developing a Challenging Skin Disease

They authors found that more hidradenitis suppurativa patients reported experiencing active secondhand smoke exposure than those with eczema or common warts.”

— Lauren CS Kole, MD

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, UNITED STATES, May 23, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic debilitating, hard to treat, inflammatory skin condition that causes painful lumps deep in the skin, typically in the armpits, groin, and inner thigh. This disease is known to be very highly associated with smoking. However, the relationship between secondhand smoke and hidradenitis suppurativa had not been assessed.

In a study in SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^®, Lauren Kole, MD and her co-authors conducted a survey to determine whether there was a similar association between secondhand smoke and this disease. They also surveyed patients with eczema (since there is a known association between secondhand smoke and eczema) and common warts (since there is no known association) to limit bias. They found that more hidradenitis suppurativa patients reported experiencing active secondhand smoke exposure than those with eczema or common warts. And, they did not find a difference between hidradenitis suppurativa severity for those with secondhand smoke exposure compared to those without.

Hidradenitis suppurativa can be very disruptive to normal life and difficult to treat. While dermatologists do not know exactly what causes it, they know it is a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. By studying the role that certain environmental factors such as smoking play, patients can better understand risks and more effectively protect themselves from this challenging disease.

SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^® is a peer-reviewed online medical journal that is the official journal of The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine. The mission of SKIN is to provide an enhanced and accelerated route to disseminate new dermatologic knowledge for all aspects of cutaneous disease.

For more details, please visit www.jofskin.org or contact jofskin@gmail.com.

Lauren CS Kole, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
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