Inflammation's Role in the Disease Progression of HS

Sherry Yang, MD, FAAD, is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her dermatology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, where she served as chief resident during her last year of training. She started her career in academic medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in 2015 and is currently the Associate Residency Program Director and Director of the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Specialty Clinic.

Dr Yang led a session on Hidradenitis Suppurativa on day 2 of the SDPA 2021 Annual Fall Dermatology Conference.

In this video, Dr Sherry Yang discusses the various causes of inflammation and their role in the disease progression of patients with HS.

Transcript

Dr Yang:  Research has shown that patients with HS have an aberrant innate and adaptive immune response with loss of normal innate immunity feedback inhibition and increased T_H1 and T_H17 T-cell activity. Once the follicle ruptures and releases proinflammatory keratin and bacteria underneath the skin, the immune system is then activated, and goes into overdrive. The inflammatory cells then mix with epithelial stem cells derived from the ruptured hair follicle. All of these forms a substance known as invasive proliferative gelatinous mass. As the name indicates, this is a gel-like substance that invades and slowly takes over the subcutaneous tissue and then contributes ultimately to non-healing sinus tracts. Then this process essentially repeats itself until it progresses to the point of stage 3 hidradenitis.