Association between Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Peripheral Arterial Occlusion Disease: a propensity-score-matched cohort study

Background Considering the plausible mechanistic associations and the significant clinical implications of Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), this study aimed to investigate the risk of incident PAOD in patients with HS. Method A retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX research network was conducted. HS patients were matched 1:1 with non-HS controls based on demographic and clinical factors. The primary outcome was the incidence of PAOD, analyzed using hazard ratios (HRs) and Kaplan-Meier curves over a 15-year follow-up period. Sensitivity and stratification analyses were performed to validate the findings. Result Over a 15-year follow-up, HS patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of developing PAOD compared to matched controls (HR 1.230, 95% CI 1.164-1.300) in the crude model. This risk persisted after adjusting for possible confounders. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a higher cumulative probability of PAOD in the HS cohort (adjusted HR 1.478, 95% CI 1.357-1.610, log-rank p-value of <0.01) over the entire follow-up period. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings across various models. Stratification analyses indicated consistent PAOD risk across gender and age subgroups, with higher risks observed in males (HR 1.794, 95% CI 1.541-2.089) and patients aged ≥65 years (HR 1.769, 95% CI 1.534-2.039). Conclusion HS is associated with an increased risk of PAOD, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. These findings underscore the importance of cardiovascular risk assessment and management in patients with HS. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and evaluate the impact of HS treatment on PAOD risk.