He is also a cofounder and practicing dermatologist at the Boulder Valley Center for Dermatology in Colorado.
Verywell Health: Why is hidradenitis suppurativa so commonly misdiagnosed?
Unfortunately, HS is often misdiagnosed, leading to unsuccessful treatments and prolonged suffering.
SeventyFour / Getty Images
One reason this happens is the lack of reliable provider training.
As a consequence, providers may not consider the diagnosis when they evaluate a patient with HS.
Another barrier to the diagnosis of HS is that there are no specific tests for the condition.
A final reason that HS is hard to diagnose is its variable and common symptoms.
Understandably, providers may initiate treatment for these more common diseases when they first see a patient with HS.
Verywell Health: Are there any common misconceptions that patients and doctors have about HS?
Dr. Gallagher:Sure, there are plenty.
Multiple studies have confirmed that HS adversely impacts a persons overall health and quality of life.
Many people also wrongly believe that HS is just severe acne.
Unfortunately, both patients and providersand the community at largeoften wrongly believe that HS is triggered by poor hygiene.
Rather, its a chronic inflammatory disease that is commonly linked to genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors.
Last, its a pretty common misconception that HS affects only women.
Its true that HS is more frequently diagnosed in women, but it can also significantly affect men.
Unfortunately, this misconception probably leads to underdiagnosis in male patients.
