China Journal of Leprosy and Skin Diseases ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 292-298.doi: 10.12144/zgmfskin202604292

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Pain management for hidradenitis suppurativa

SHAO Jingya1,2, LIN Zhaoping3,4,5, WU Xiaoting1,2, CHEN Yushan1,2, HAO Mingyue1,2, SHEN Changbing3,4,5, GAO Jing1,2   

  1. 1 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China; 2 Joint Laboratory for Plasma Clinical Applications, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China; 3 Department of Dermatology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518036, China; 4 Institute of Dermatology, Shenzhen Peking University-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China; 5 PKU-Shenzhen Clinical Institute of Shantou University Medical College, Shenzhen 518036, China
  • Online:2026-04-15 Published:2026-04-08

Abstract: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease, and pain is its common symptom that severely impairs patients' quality of life. The pain mechanism of HS is complex, characterized by a combination of nociceptive, neuropathic and nociceptive plasticity features. Its management should be based on the biopsychosocial model: for acute pain, intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and topical preparations can be administered; for chronic pain, multimodal therapy is recommended, such as duloxetine combined with pregabalin. Individualized regimens are required for pediatric, pregnant and elderly patients. In addition, physical therapy, surgical intervention, wound care and psychological support are also indispensable. This paper summarizes the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and assessment methods of pain in HS, aiming to provide a reference for optimizing individualized treatment strategies and comprehensively improving patients' quality of life.

Key words: hidradenitis suppurativa, pain management, chronic pain, acute pain