Smoking, but not cannabis, may drive hidradenitis suppurativa risk

Key takeaways:

Smoking was associated with an increased risk of having hidradenitis suppurativa, whereas chewing tobacco and using cannabis were not.

Dermatologists should counsel patients on smoking cessation treatments.

Adults who smoked cigarettes were more likely to have hidradenitis suppurativa, whereas those who used chewing tobacco or cannabis were not, according to a study.

“Risk factors for developing hidradenitis suppurativa , including tobacco and cannabis, have been debated,” Shari R. Lipner, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, told Healio. “While most studies have shown an association between tobacco and HS, the relationship between HS and cannabis is much less explored, with one study showing a positive association.”

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