Anti‐COVID‐19 measurements for hidradenitis suppurativa patients

Giamarellos‐Bourboulis, Evangelos J.; Bettoli, Vincenzo; Jemec, Gregor B. E.; del Marmol, Veronique; Marzano, Angelo V.; Prens, Errol P.; Tzellos, Thrasyvoulos; Zouboulis, Christos C.

The reported incidence of COVID‐19 among cohorts of patients with inflammatory bowel and skin diseases under treatment with biologicals is low. Treatment may further modify disease severity as some biological modifiers, such as anakinra, are also proposed for the management of COVID‐19 patients potentially providing HS patients with an advantage. The above preliminary evidence suggests that hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) does probably not provide an increased susceptibility for COVID‐19 and that any susceptibility is unlikely to be modified negatively by treatment with biologicals. On the occasion of its 10th International Conference, experts of the European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation e.V. have prepared a consensus statement regarding anti‐COVID‐19 measurements for HS patients. Based on the available knowledge, patients with HS may be vaccinated against SARS‐CoV2 and patients affected by metabolic syndrome constitute a high‐risk group for COVID‐19 and should be vaccinated at the earliest convenient point in time. HS patients on treatment with adalimumab can be vaccinated with non‐living virus anti‐SARS‐CoV2 vaccines. A possible suboptimal effect of the vaccine may be suspected but might not be expected universally. The management of the biological treatment in HS patients is at the discretion of the dermatologist / responsible physician.