Validation of a self-administered questionnaire to determine the severity of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

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Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin disease that appears as pea-sized to marble-sized lumps under the skin. The lumps form most often in the armpits, under the breasts, inner thighs, groin and buttocks. HS can be painful and cause scarring and pus in affected areas. Flare-ups may be triggered by perspiration, hormonal changes (such as monthly cycles in women), humidity and heat, and friction from clothing. The current standard for diagnosing and assessing your condition is called the Hurley Stage Method. This involves a physical assessment of your skin by your doctor. Recently a new tool has been developed to diagnose Hidradentitis Suppurativa called a ‘self administered questionnaire’. The purpose of this research is to investigate the predictive ability, sensitivity and specificity of this self-administered questionnaire against the gold-standard clinical assessment of Hidradentitis Suppurativa severity using the Hurley stage method. The ability of self-administered questionnaires to assess disease severity has not been assessed. A self-administered questionnaire offers advantages over physical assessment, particularly for epidemiologic research into HS where it is important to be able to determine both the prevalence and severity of disease.

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