Impact of Biologic Therapy on Emergency Department Utilization in Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that often begins in adolescence and is associated with substantial morbidity and increased healthcare utilization, including emergency department (ED) visits. Using the TriNetX Global Network, a retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing pediatric HS patients who received biologic therapy before adulthood with biologic-naïve pediatric HS controls. Biologic exposure was associated with a lower cumulative incidence of 1 or more all-cause ED visits at 5 years (RR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58-0.97; p = 0.0250), 10 years (RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.51-0.84; p = 0.0002), and at any time after index (RR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.48-0.77; p < 0.0001; NNT, 10). These findings suggest that biologic exposure during pediatric years is associated with lower subsequent all-cause ED utilization among patients with HS.