Compared to Psoriasis,Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients Face Higher Risk of Sleep Apnea: Study
Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) are at a significantly higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared to those with psoriasis, according to recent findings published in the Archives of Dermatological Research. This is mainly because of factors such as obesity, smoking, and increased inflammation. Both HS and psoriasis are chronic inflammatory skin diseases that affect not only physical health but also the quality of sleep and the overall quality of life. The study was conducted by Burcu Baran and colleagues in Turkey.
A total of 75 patients participated in the study consisting of 50 psoriasis and 25 HS patients who were diagnosed and treated within the Dermatology Department of a tertiary healthcare institution. The disease severity among the participants was measured using the HURLEY score for patients with HS and the PASI for the patients with psoriasis. For assessment of sleep quality and OSA risk, three standardized tools were used.
• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI): This measures the quality of sleep.
• Berlin Questionnaire: Detects the risk of OSA through snoring, tiredness, and comorbid conditions.
• STOP-Bang Questionnaire: Determines the risk of OSA through BMI, neck circumference, and symptoms associated with sleep.
Key findings:
• The study included 41% female participants, and the average age was 36.4 ± 12.7 years. The scores for PSQI and STOP-Bang were significantly higher in HS patients than in psoriasis patients (p = 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively), which suggested a poor quality of sleep and increased risk of OSA.
• High-risk OSA was more common in males (p = 0.004) and also occurred more frequently in HS patients than in patients with psoriasis (64% vs. 26%, p = 0.002).
• No significant correlation was found between the severity of the disease (assessed by HURLEY and PASI scores) and the results of the questionnaire related to sleep in either group.
• 64% of HS patients were at high risk for OSA, compared to 26% of psoriasis patients (p = 0.002).
• HS patients had poorer quality of sleep, as evidenced by significantly higher PSQI scores (p = 0.001).
• STOP-Bang scores, representing the risk of OSA, were higher in HS patients than in psoriasis patients (p = 0.003).
• Males were at higher risk for OSA than females (p = 0.004).
• The severity of the disease (HURLEY and PASI scores) was not significantly associated with the risks of sleep or OSA.
HS patients are at a much greater risk of having OSA and poor sleep quality than psoriasis patients, which makes routine assessment of sleep essential in this group. This supports holistic approaches to care to address both dermatologic and systemic complications in chronic inflammatory skin diseases.
Reference:
Baran B, Öksüm Solak E, Yetkin NA, Rabahoğlu B, Tutar N, Gülmez İ, Oymak FS. Sleep quality and risk of obstructive sleep apnea in psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa patients. Arch Dermatol Res. 2025 Jan 7;317(1):185. doi: 10.1007/s00403-024-03734-2. PMID: 39775297.
