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Iltefat Hamzavi, MD, outlines how symptom questionnaires, comorbidity screening, wound care, and procedures shape hidradenitis suppurativa care.
Care for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) extends beyond medication selection. It also takes structured symptom assessment, comorbidity screening, wound care, and procedures, according to Iltefat Hamzavi, MD, senior staff physician in the Department of Dermatology at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan. Hamzavi outlined this approach in an interview with HCPLive.
On October 9, at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hamzavi and Jennifer Hsiao, MD, of the University of Southern California, copresented “Beyond Selection of Medications: Managing Patient Expectations and Comorbidities in Hidradenitis Suppurativa.” The session drew on their experience running large multidisciplinary HS clinics at both institutions. Henry Ford’s program includes several dedicated faculty members, surgical partners, and a basic science team funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Hamzavi recommended using time in the waiting room to collect patient-reported data before the visit. Questionnaires can capture how often drainage occurs and whether it has an odor, days of pain, missed work, and effects on intimacy and socialization, so clinicians can assess health status quickly. Because HS presents episodically, he also advised counting flare days and giving patients a written plan for managing flares.
“You build rapport with patients by knowing what they are going to deal with, and if you anticipate their next step, it builds that trust because HS is a disease with one of the highest rates of suicide in dermatology. Depression is very high,” Hamzavi said.
Comorbidity screening is part of this anticipatory approach. Hamzavi described giving patients a handout for their primary care physician. It outlines screening for type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular risk, mental and behavioral health concerns, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
The session also covered how to incorporate newer therapies, how to manage their cutaneous adverse effects, and when to use dual therapy for refractory disease. Hamzavi called wound care a gap in dermatology training. At Henry Ford, a dedicated wound care nurse teaches patients to choose super-absorbent, odor-reducing dressings and tape gentle enough to avoid skin damage.
Procedures remain an important addition to medical therapy. Laser hair removal, local excision, and deroofing can resolve persistent draining tunnels in areas such as the axilla or groin while systemic therapy controls disease elsewhere. Medication can then focus on preventing new lesions.
Editor’s note: This summary has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Hamzavi is a consultant for AbbVie, Pfizer, Incyte, UCB, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sonoma, Merck, Takeda,Teva, Novartis, Jansen, Avita, Galderma, Vimela, and Almirall; an investigator for Pfizer, Incyte, Avita, L'Oréal/La Roche-Posay, ITN, and AbbVie; and a board member and past president of the Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Global Vitiligo foundations.
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