Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with significant morbidity and a reduction in the quality of life. Recent studies report an increased prevalence of systemic inflammatory comorbidities, including arthralgia and spondyloarthropathy (SA), among HS patients. However, the factors contributing to these associations remain poorly understood. Methods This prospective study includes 64 patients diagnosed with HS at Adana City Hospital between December 2023 and December 2024. Demographics, disease severity (Hurley staging), comorbid conditions, and treatment history of each patient were noted. Patients reporting joint pain or back pain were evaluated by a rheumatologist and underwent additional laboratory and radiological investigations accordingly. The relationship between arthralgia and clinical variables was statistically analyzed using SPSS v21. Results The mean age of the participants was 31.78 years. Arthralgia was reported in 56.3% of patients, and SA was diagnosed in 17.2% of the total cohort. The presence of arthralgia was found to be independent of the Hurley stage ( p = 0.998), smoking ( p = 0.765), vitamin D deficiency ( p = 0.971), obesity ( p = 0.974), or previous systemic treatments, including anti‐TNF agents ( p = 0.054). However, increasing age was significantly associated with arthralgia ( p = 0.005). Common comorbidities included obesity (39.1%), diabetes (25%), hypertension (14.1%), and acneiform eruptions (28.1%). Conclusions Arthralgia is a frequent and often underrecognized comorbidity in HS patients, and it is independent of disease severity or treatment history. Increasing age is a significant risk factor. Our findings support the need for routine screening for musculoskeletal symptoms in HS patients and closer interdisciplinary collaboration with rheumatology.
Tehçi et al. (2026) studied this question.