Hidradenitis Suppurativa is linked to many health risks, associated health problems, and there are facts to back it all up.
It’s a debilitating skin disease, autoimmune disease, or inflammatory disease that around 1%-2% of the population lives with.
So not too many.
Most don’t know they even have it unless they:
- Do a lot of digging.
- See a lot of dermatologists.
- And take things a step further.
Because most health professionals still confuse Hidradenitis with:
- Acne.
- Spots.
- Folliculitis.
Or other similar skin conditions.
Let’s talk about the associated:
- risks to your health.
- what it’s associated with.
- the facts.
and what you can do about it!
Associated health conditions:
1. Obesity
A recent retrospective questionnaire reported that the prevalence of HS in an obese population was 18.1%, significantly higher than the general population. Additionally, 35% of these subjects reported improvement in HS symptoms following bariatric surgery and subsequent weight loss.
According to a study highlighted by The National Library Of Medicine, weight loss shows a high percentage in relation to it fixing problems of Hidradenitis.
The answer to why this is the case is probably because of the elevated levels of insulin in an obese/overweight person’s body.
Blood sugar is a problem when a person is obese, and this doesn’t help with skin issues like Hidradenitis in the first place!
2. Smoking
it is known that cigarette smoking impedes healing. In a retrospective cohort study, non-smokers were significantly more likely to exhibit improvements following first-line treatments compared to smoking counterparts.
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise since as it points out, smoking gets in the way of the body’s natural healing process.
And seeing as cigarettes have so many chemicals inside of them, the reaction in your body with conditions like Hidradenitis must be more problematic than a person realizes.
Quitting smoking is good for too many reasons.
3. Metabolic Syndrome
HS is also associated with metabolic syndrome, a multifaceted disease state including diabetes mellitus/insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in HS patients was significantly higher than in controls in a retrospective chart review, at a rate of 50.6% compared to 30.2%, respectively.
This goes back to my point in #1 when talking about insulin being high in obese or overweight people, and that causing problems for H.S. and skin problems in general.
If you’re metabolically unhealthy, it points to insulin resistance, diabetes, and other problems that make H.S. much worse.
50% is a very high number.
4. Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is often subclinical and asymptomatic, with potentially deadly consequences. It has also been hypothesized that elevated levels of the inflammatory molecules interleukin (IL)-17 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α contribute to endothelial damage. This provides immunologic context to relate cardiovascular disease to HS.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa is an inflammatory disease by nature. That means inflammation in the body is at an all-time high on some level.
Inflammation of this degree is not good for your health and only makes things worse over time. So with this in mind, it makes logical sense that it could affect other things like Cardiovascular disease in this case.
This makes the journey to ridding yourself of Hidradenitis that much more important.
5. IBS (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is also associated with HS. The prevalence of IBD in 7,732 HS patients was 0.8%, significantly higher than the reported prevalence of IBD in the general population, at 0.3%. Additionally, the risk of new-onset IBD was significantly elevated in HS patients, specifically Crohn’s disease (CD), with a hazard risk of 2.19, and ulcerative colitis (UC), with a hazard risk of 1.63
Severe tummy pain and diarrhoea are the symptoms associated with IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease), according to the NHS.
Ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease are two types of IBD.
The fact that it’s higher in H.S. patients (despite being a small number of the population) compared to the general population tells you how influential H.S. is in the equation.
6. Psychiatric problems
HS can be a debilitating disease, physically and emotionally, with increased prevalence of depression and psychiatric disease noted in this patient population.
These days my Hidradenitis Suppurativa is a LOT better than it used to be years ago, or even a year ago at the nearest.
Having people stare at you in disgust, look the other way, or not acknowledge you as a person because of the glaring issues with your skin is enough to psychologically damage many people.
This alone shows why the association with Psychiatric problems is unsurprising and in fact, more likely than anything else.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Facts:
7. Inflammatory disease
HS is a systemic inflammatory disease that causes abscesses and inflammation in various body regions.
It can happen in the:
- groin area.
- face
- scalp.
- head.
- hair.
- chest.
- back.
- neck.
and so on.
8. Life Quality
Patients with HS have one of the lowest quality of life measures among dermatologic diseases.
Again, this comes down to the:
- Stress.
- Psychological damage.
- Mental health issues.
- Self-esteem issues.
- Self-image.
And things that make a person more conscious and critical of themselves.
9. Commonality
The prevalence of HS varies but is more common than previously considered, with higher rates in African-American patients.
I couldn’t find enough data on this, but I suspect it’s because black people absorb LESS vitamin D as quickly as others who are lighter skinned.
Vitamin D is known to help Hidradenitis along with zinc, and Vitamin D is a major deficiency around the world, especially for those with darker skin.
10. Things that worsen Hidradenitis
Exacerbating factors of HS include mechanical stressors, such as friction from clothing, sweating, and shaving. Diet may also play a role, with some patients reporting improvement after eliminating dairy or brewer’s yeast.
Diet absolutely plays a major role, in fact, it plays a 100% role in healing it. Assuming all the other factors like shaving, clothing, and others are dealt with.
11. Genetics
HS has a genetic component, with both familial and sporadic cases reported. The genetic variants and phenotypic subtypes of HS are not yet fully understood.
And this is the main issue with Hidradenitis. There are growing studies on this issue, but there’s still a lack of understanding when it comes to certain elements of it like genetics.
Still, while a fact, it doesn’t stop you from healing hidradenitis suppurativa through a carnivore diet, or other methods I’ll walk you through.
How to fix the problem:
12. Lower your carbohydrates below 50g
I know people are hung up on this idea that carbohydrates are the body’s ONLY source of food and that you must eat 100s of grams of carbs per day.
I get it.
But if you wanna get rid of Hidradenitis Suppurativa and heal it drastically to the point where it changes your life and makes you more confident, then you MUST cut the carbs.
Kinda like this website (carb cutta).
The one thing they don’t say deliberately in these studies is carbs spike your insulin, more so refined carbs which are the ones with the most carbs anyway.
- Pasta.
- Rice.
- Spaghetti.
- Quinoa.
- Bread.
- Wheat.
- Grains.
- Potatoes.
- Crackers.
- Waffles.
- Pancakes.
Anything with white flour or anything that resembles this list is doing you no good if you want clearer skin. And if you eventually want to heal completely by putting Hidradentis into remission.
You then replace those carbohydrates with more fats like:
- Fish.
- Butter.
- Fatty meats.
- Eggs.
- Dairy (test these).
- Tempeh.
- Tofu.
Or anything else you can tolerate that’s lower in carbs and has a good amount of fat and protein, etc.
Lower insulin spikes and less frequent spikes is the goal here.
13. Lower your sugar intake
This piggybacks off the last point. Carbs turn into sugar anyway, and the worst kind of carbs (refined) spike your blood sugar too fast compared to let’s say, vegetables.
Lowering sugar means:
- Coca Cola.
- Fizzy drinks.
- Sports drinks.
- Fruit juice drinks.
- Cheesecake.
- Chocolate.
- Cookies.
- Dried fruits (high in sugar).
- Honey.
And things of that nature need to disappear from your life once and for all. At least until you’re free of your Hidradenitis and you’re much more disciplined and controlled in how you eat certain foods.
Sugar aggravates skin issues because of insulin and blood sugar spikes.
Hidradenitis is no exception.
Related: How To Manage Hidradenitis Suppurativa And Change Your Life
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In the end, you MUST test this slowly but surely. I never encourage drastic changes because it’s your health after all.
But finding a way to cut out bad carbs, and foods highest in carbs is the first and most important step in getting rid of Hidradenitis Suppurativa through nutrition alone.
Added sugar as well.
SOURCES:
Hidradenitis suppurativa: an update on connecting the tracts
Recommended:
Fruits For Hidradenitis Suppurativa: The TRUTH You Should Know