• Jen Barak Levitt, Shira Barmatz, Shira Fisch-Gilad, Yossef H Taieb, Adam Dalal, Khashayar Afshari, Nazgol Haddadi, Dana Tzur Bitan, Dov CohenArnonADepartment of Research and Information, Chief Physician Office, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel, Siaal Research Center for Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Daniel Mimouni, Emmilia Hodak, and Shany Sherman.
• Department of Dermatology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Isr Med Assoc J. 2024 May 1; 26 (5): 283288283-288.

BackgroundHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease involving apocrine gland-bearing regions. There is an under-representation of non-Caucasians in epidemiologic studies of HS. The characteristics of HS in Israeli Arabs have not yet been studied.ObjectivesTo investigate the demographic and clinical profile of HS in the Israeli Arab population.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted in two cohorts of patients with HS in Israel. The patients were derived from the database of a large health management organization (n=4191, 639 Arabs; population-based) and a major tertiary medical center (n=372, 49 Arabs). Demographic and clinical data were compared between ethnic groups.ResultsThe prevalence of HS in Israeli Arabs was found to be 0.5%, fivefold higher than in Jews. Arab patients were younger (35.3 vs. 40.5 years, P < 0.001) and mostly male (52% vs. 35.7%, P < 0.001), with lower rates of co-morbidities, including smoking (40.8% vs. 55.7%, P < 0.001), hyperlipidemia, and depression as well as a higher rate of dissecting cellulitis (10.2% vs. 1.9%, P = 0.008). HS was more severe in Arabs, but of shorter duration, with mainly axillary involvement (79.6% vs. 57.9%, P = 0.004). Treatment with hormones was more common in Jews, and with biologic agents in Arabs.ConclusionsThe findings suggest a different phenotype of HS in Arabs, warranting further study.

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