Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of follicular occlusion characterized by boils, sinus tracts, fistulae, and scarring. It has a significant underestimated morbidity. Antimicrobial, immunosuppressive, anti-androgenic, and surgical approaches have been used with varying results. Knowledge of the pathogenesis of HS is fragmented, and treatment choices have hitherto been empiric without an exact understanding of the scientific basis for their use. Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors have shown promise in the treatment of HS in recent years, and the concept of HS as an immunological condition has come to the fore. The focus of this review is to discuss the immunological abnormalities underpinning HS as elucidated to date.
© 2014 The International Society of Dermatology.