Understand the health risks

Some of the most common health conditions that occur with hidradenitis suppurativa include:

• Obesity. Not only is obesity common with hidradenitis suppurativa, but extra weight also worsens the skin condition. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) — your weight in kilograms (kg) divided by your height in meters (m) squared — of 30 or higher. But not everyone who has hidradenitis suppurativa is obese.
• Metabolic syndrome. This condition is a combination of high blood glucose, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It also raises your risk of heart disease and strokes.
• Diabetes. People with hidradenitis suppurativa are more likely to have diabetes than people who don't have the skin condition. Obesity is implicated in both hidradenitis suppurativa and diabetes.
• Depression. Hidradenitis suppurativa can be an emotionally challenging disease to live with — and depression is another commonly related health condition. Some people with hidradenitis suppurativa might abuse drugs or alcohol, or have suicidal thoughts.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases. These include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Common signs and symptoms include diarrhea, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain and cramping, blood in your stool, reduced appetite, and unintended weight loss.
• Heart disease. Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. Heart disease symptoms depend on what type of heart disease you have. Signs and symptoms can include chest pain, a rapid or irregular heart rate, shortness of breath, swelling, fatigue, and fainting.
• Joint problems. Inflammatory forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, are common in people with hidradenitis suppurativa. Symptoms include joint pain and stiffness.
• Other skin diseases. Skin conditions that cause open, noninfectious sores on the legs, as well as those that cause deep abscesses, tracts and nodules, commonly occur with hidradenitis suppurativa.
• Skin cancer. People with hidradentis suppurativa seem to be at greater risk of the skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Signs and symptoms vary from a hard red bump to a flat lesion that may be scaly or crusty.