Hydradenitis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

Hydradenitis is an acute, purulent inflammation of the sweat glands. Children before puberty and old people do not suffer from hydradenitis, since they have apocrine sweat glands that do not function.

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What causes hydradenitis?

The pathology is frequent, caused by irritating chemicals, more often by products of oil processing, abundant sweating, shaving of hair in axillary cavities, diaper rash, bathing in polluted water, endocrine diseases. Hydradenitis develops in middle-aged people, when the sweat glands of the apocrine structure are most active, in children and the elderly, hydradenite almost never occurs. The preferred location is the axilla. Although it can form in the popliteal fossa, inguinal area and other places with heavy sweating.

Symptoms of Hydradenitis

Hydradenitis is usually located in the armpits, around the nipples of the chest, navel, genitals and anus. Symptoms of hydradenitis are polymorphic, since the inflammatory process captures many sweat glands with different stages of its development. It begins with itching, swelling and flushing of the skin. After 1-2 days dense and painful nodules 0.5-1.0 cm in size form in the thick of the dermis. The skin above them is purple-red, soldered with infiltrates and funnel-like drawn into them. By the 5th-7th day from the onset of the disease, hydradenitis opens up to the surface of the skin multiple openings, a type of fistula, with fetid purulent discharge. Subjectively, pain is noted, sometimes severe. In some patients, the disease begins acutely, simultaneously in both axillary pits, the body temperature rises to 38-40 ° C. When the disease regresses, scars are formed. The recurrent course of the process is possible.

The disease should be distinguished from collicative tuberculosis and furunculosis.

Treatment of Hydradenitis

Conduct the same treatment measures as with a furuncle.