Improving the disease awareness: how a communication campaign brings hidradenitis suppurativa to the light.

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin disease that presents a recurrence of painful and suppurating lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing regions, with a strong impact on the patients' life quality. Despite its peculiar presentation, early forms are often underestimated by patients and this would inevitably result in late diagnosis and delayed therapy. OBJECTIVES: Improved communication around the disease could facilitate self-diagnosis and a quicker response from healthcare practitioners, especially in this moment when we dispose of effective treatment against this disease. METHODS: A HS awareness campaign was conducted for 2 years with the help of a media agency and a patients' association. RESULTS: Results confirm that a better communication has a strong impact on the disease awareness. CONCLUSIONS: This paper demonstrates that the more this disease awareness is carried on, the more quick, effective and efficient the patient's management could be.