Prevalence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea.

Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic and debilitating inflammatory skin disease, which mostly occurs in the skinfolds. The global prevalence of HS is currently unknown. Depending on the type of research and studied population, the reported prevalence varies between 0.03% and 4.1%. It is important to investigate the prevalence of HS worldwide using the same study design, in order to recognize, diagnose, and treat patients at an earlier stage. Consequently, a worldwide initiative, the Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas (GHiSA) has developed a study design to investigate the worldwide prevalence of HS in a comparable manner. The prevalence of HS in a Pacific Islander population has not been reported. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HS in Kapuna, Papua New Guinea.

Methods: An explorative, descriptive, cross-sectional mono-center study in a secondary care center, the Kapuna Hospital, Papua New Guinea. Participants were healthy persons accompanying patients who were admitted to Kapuna Hospital or attending its Outpatient Department, and healthy hospital staff. The primary outcome of this study was the point prevalence of HS in Papua New Guinea using a validated questionnaire and physical examination.

Results: A total of 520 participants were included in this study. The prevalence of HS in these 520 participants was 0.38% (2/520, 95% confidence interval 0.1-1.4%).

Conclusion: The point prevalence of HS in Papua New Guinea was 0.38%. The findings of this study contribute to fill a gap in the current insights into global HS prevalence.