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The following is a summary of “Dose-response relationship between tobacco smoking and hidradenitis suppurativa: results from an observational study of 1689 patients,” published in the May 2025 issue of Dermatology by Chastagner et al. 

Previous studies have yielded contradictory discoveries on the associations between smoking characteristics (age at initiation, consumption intensity) and disease characteristics (onset, phenotype, severity).  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the influence of smoking on HS characteristics.  

They assessed and compared the clinical characteristics and smoking habits of 1,689 patients with HS among non-smokers, past smokers, and active smokers using Student’s t-test, Fischer’s exact and χ² tests.  

The results showed a positive correlation between mean age at smoking onset and mean age at HS onset (ρ=0.4; P<0.001). Greater smoking exposure, measured in pack years, was linked to increased disease severity with more affected sites (ρ=0.126, P=0.0002). Active smoking was also significantly associated with poorer QoL (P<0.001) and heightened pain during flares (P<0.003).  

Investigators concluded that early smoking was associated with earlier HS onset, and heavy HS smokers developed more severe disease in a dose-response manner, which may have supported evidence-based counseling efforts for smoking cessation in patients with HS and those at risk. 

Source: karger.com/drm/article-abstract/doi/10.1159/000545833/927504/The-dose-response-relationship-between-tobacco