Trends of prepubescent and pubescent black and white pediatric patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Summary: Abstract Body: The goal of this research is to compare the differences in prepubescent and pubescent black and white pediatrics patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) to aid in a better understanding of the clinical patterns seen in these cohorts to help clinicians best support pediatric patients. We performed a retrospective chart analysis of 1015 pediatric patients diagnosed with HS. In our study, 104 patients were 11 years old or younger at the time of their HS diagnosis, while 913 patients were 12 years old or older. Nearly 37% of children under 11 were black, while only 27% of children over 12 were black. There were no statistically significant differences between these two cohorts in specialty of the diagnostic provider, use of public or private insurance, or sex. The average BMI of children 11 and under was 29.27, while the average BMI of children 12 and over was 31.94, a value that is significantly higher (p=0.0100). Children under the age of 11 were statistically more likely to be white in comparison to those over age 12 (OR=0.67, p=0.0393, 95%CI=0.4285 to 0.9789), suggesting that white children may have more access to care that facilitates diagnosis at a young age. Importantly, the number of patient hospitalizations due to HS in children 12 and older was significantly higher than those 11 and younger (p<0.00001), indicating that the severity of HS flares increases with age and the onset of puberty. The results of this project suggest that children diagnosed earlier with HS have a higher BMI, but fewer hospitalizations. Black children are less likely to be diagnosed with HS at an earlier age than white children, highlighting the need for greater access to dermatologic care across different minority populations. Vincenzia S. Vargo¹, Sydney DeVore¹, Selina J. Chang¹, Jonathan C. Hwang¹, Aniket Dhariwal¹, Aliyyat Afolabi¹, Ellen Koch² 1. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. 2. Dermatology, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research