General measures Patient education with reassurance that the condition is not infectious nor a result of poor hygiene Assess quality of life impact with HiSQOL, along with lesion count and frequency of flares Record the Hurley Stage and consider immediate referral to secondary care dermatology for stage II-III disease Screen for and manage comorbidities eg, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, depression/anxiety, PCOS, diabetes mellitus, etc Smoking cessation Weight management consider a GLP-1 agonist if obese, especially in the presence of associated comorbidities Wound care absorbent dressings with atraumatic adhesives are recommended Pain management eg, oral paracetamol and NSAIDs (first-line), opioids (cautious use), anticonvulsants or antidepressants (for neuropathic pain) Pruritus management eg, topical corticosteroids, oral first-generation antihistamines Specific measures Outlined below are commonly utilised treatments for hidradenitis suppurativa

Studies have shown that rapamycin improves immune functioning and reduces the incidence of infection
To view a copy of this licence, visit About this article Cite this article Makadi, M.A., Ibrahim, I.A., Bahr, H.I
Many insurance plans now cover these medications for weight loss, but coverage requirements differ
Awad, A