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Serum Zinc Levels in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Case–Control Study

American Journal of Clinical Dermatology volume 19, pages 771–777 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Serum zinc levels in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) have not been previously studied.

Objective

The aim was to investigate the association between HS and serum zinc levels.

Methods

A multicenter, prospective clinical and analytical case–control study was designed to assess the possible association between HS and serum zinc levels. Consecutive patients with moderate or severe HS (Hurley II or III exclusively) were enrolled. A control population was recruited from primary care clinics. Fasting blood samples were extracted from each patient and serum zinc levels determined. Candidate predictors for low serum zinc levels were determined using logistic regression models.

Results

In total, 122 patients with HS and 122 control subjects were studied. Of the 122 HS patients, 79 (64.8%) were Hurley II and 43 (35.2%) were Hurley III. Low serum zinc levels (≤ 83.3 µg/dL) were more prevalent in HS (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] 6.7, P < 0.001). After logistic regression analysis, low serum zinc levels were associated with Hurley III (ORa 4.4, P < 0.001), Dermatology Life Quality Index ≥ 9 (ORa 3.1, P = 0.005), number of affected sites ≥ 3 (ORa 2.4, P = 0.042), genital location (ORa 2.9, P = 0.009), and perineal location (ORa 2.5, P = 0.025).

Conclusion

Low serum zinc levels are more prevalent in HS than in a healthy population, an indicator that may also be associated with disease severity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Alicante University General Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), Pintor Baeza 11 St, 03010, Alicante, Spain

    Inés Poveda, Patricia Hispán, Pedro José Álvarez & José Carlos Pascual

  2. Department of Dermatology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Eva Vilarrasa

  3. Department of Dermatology, Hospital de Manises, Valencia, Spain

    Antonio Martorell

  4. Department of Dermatology, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco Javier García-Martínez

  5. Department of Dermatology, Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain

    Juan Manuel Segura

  6. Epidemiology Unit, Alicante University General Hospital, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), Alicante, Spain

    José Sánchez-Payá

  7. Department of Dermatology, Hospital de la Marina Baixa, Alicante, Spain

    Iris González

Authors
  1. Inés Poveda
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  2. Eva Vilarrasa
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  5. Juan Manuel Segura
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  8. Pedro José Álvarez
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  10. José Carlos Pascual
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Inés Poveda.

Ethics declarations

Informed Consent

All cases and control patients enrolled in this study gave informed consent.

Ethical Approval

The local ethics committee approved this study, which was performed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki (CEIC PI2016/62.1).

Funding

No sources of funding were used to conduct this study or prepare this article.

Conflict of interest

Inés Poveda, Eva Vilarrasa, Antonio Martorell, Francisco Javier García-Martínez, Juan Manuel Segura, Patricia Hispán, José Sánchez-Payá, Pedro José Álvarez, Iris González and Jose Carlos Pascual declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Cite this article

Poveda, I., Vilarrasa, E., Martorell, A. et al. Serum Zinc Levels in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Case–Control Study. Am J Clin Dermatol 19, 771–777 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-018-0374-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-018-0374-5

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