Association between hidradenitis suppurativa and gout: a propensity-score-matched cohort study.

Introduction While an association between hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and inflammatory arthritis has been reported in clinical studies, the potential link between HS and gout remains uncertain. As HS and gout share common immunological pathways, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine whether HS patients are at an increased risk of developing gout in the future. Methods This retrospective multicenter cohort study obtained information through the US collaborative network, a subset of the TriNetX research network. Patients diagnosed with HS between January 01, 2005, and December 31, 2017, were recruited, and a 1:1 propensity score matching was conducted to identify appropriate controls. The hazard ratio for the new-onset of gout in HS patients was subsequently calculated. Results Compared to individuals without HS, those with HS were associated with a 1.39-fold higher risk (95% CI, 1.20, 1.62) of developing new-onset gout within five years after the index date. This association remained significant in shorter follow-up times and sensitivity analyses utilizing different matching models. For both male and female HS patients, the risk of developing new-onset gout within 5 years after the index date was statistically significant, with respective hazard ratios of 1.61 (95% CI, 1.28,2.02) for males and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.11,1.78) for females. Conclusion HS patients are at a high risk of developing gout within five years after an HS diagnosis while comparing with non-HS controls.