Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa patients often seek non-prescription therapies.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of alternative medicine use and characterize the differences between patients who report using alternative medications versus those who do not.
Methods: We surveyed 67 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa regarding demographics, alternative medicine use, disease severity, and quality of life.
Results: 25 (37.2%) of the HS subjects reported alternative medicine use. Alternative medicine users tended to be younger (36.7 vs 40.8 years), have a shorter time since diagnosis (12.6 vs14.6 years), and reported worse quality of life (14.1 vs 11.0) than non-users. These differences were not statistically significant.
Limitations: Limitations included a small sample size.
Conclusion: Alternative medicine use among patients with hidradenitis is common regardless of disease severity; even mild disease may drive patients to seek alternative treatment. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(10):1072-1074. doi:10.36849/JDD.6046.