Hidradenitisuppurativa(HS) — a chronic skin disease in which painful lumps or boils form, typically in areas where your skin rubs together or folds over — can be a challenging condition to diagnose and treat. Without treatment, though, the lumps can lead to complications, such as scarring and swelling.
While HS often begins during adolescence, it can go undiagnosed for years due to factors ranging from embarrassment to a lack of awareness that its recurring symptoms can and should be treated. Many people don’t see a doctor for HS until it significantly interferes with their daily activities and reduces their quality of life.
有很多的HS严重程度，但大多数人 - 甚至是一个相当轻微的情况 - 可以从看到皮肤科医生那里受益。虽然一些初级保健医生有经验治疗HS.和other skin disorders, all dermatologists are trained to recognize and treat HS. Working with a dermatologist to treat your HS can help ensure you are getting maximum relief from pain and discomfort and know where to turn if yoursymptoms worsen.
但即使所有皮肤科医生都可以对待HS，这并不意味着每一个，每个人都将适合您。这是在皮肤科医生中寻找的内容以及一些其他提示，用于导航找到提供商的过程。
为HS照顾的障碍
HS isn’t a rare disease, but in the past, some primary care doctors failed to recognize its signs and symptoms, according toA. Yasmine Kirkorian，MD，华盛顿特区儿童国家医院皮肤科的主任。幸运的是，她说，这不再是美国至少一些地区的情况，据近年来她看到的推荐。
Doctors who don’t recognize HS, though, may treat the symptoms as isolated occurrences, not realizing that the condition is chronic, explains Dr. Kirkorian.
Patients also may not recognize their symptoms as being ones of a chronic disease. They may think, for example, “This is just a strange thing that happens to me，“Kirkorian说，或”Oh, I just get boils“事实上，他们有HS。
其他时候，柯克尔都说，人们可能不愿意寻求护理，因为他们的症状令人尴尬或对检查某些身体部位的医生不舒服。由于HS最常见的身体的区域包括腋窝，腹股沟和臀部，因此医生采取措施使HS感觉轻松地让人们感到舒适，包括谈论考试如何用于指导治疗决策。
“It’s important to explain why you need to look [at a particular area of the body],” says Kirkorian. For example, if someone with HS describes symptoms in the armpits only, the doctor should tell the patient why it’s still necessary to examine the genital area and buttocks. “It’s very common that you find active disease there,” she explains, even when patients don’t notice any symptoms. “And that’s important, because it changes the staging, the severity of the diagnosis, and it may affect how we treat them.”
获得HS所需的护理
Kirkorian说，处理HS并不像在说明书之后那样简单，这使其与其他一些皮肤状况不同。相反，她说，处理HS通常需要同时需要几种方法，专门针对个体定制。“即使在最好的手中，也可能是一个难以控制的疾病，”她指出。
除了处方药，HS治疗可能涉及解决体重，锻炼习惯， 和性健康, Kirkorian says. Because of the amount of time it takes to discuss all the facets of HS treatment, doctors may book more time for appointments in particularly bad cases, if they can. If you have severe HS, Kirkorian says, you may benefit from seeing a dermatologist at a hospital affiliated with a medical school or at anHidradenitisuppurativa特色诊所.
The good news is that most dermatologists — provided they’re a good fit for you — will be able to treat your HS effectively. “I think communication is the heart of all healthcare,” says Kirkorian. “If you don’t feel like the communication is working well in the visit, then that could be a reason to consider switching doctors.”
It’s unrealistic, though, to expect that every treatment will work. The truth is, it can take some time to find the right one for you, and you may need to try something else, she says, which is yet another reason it’s essential to see a dermatologist who listens to your concerns.
为了改善与您的皮肤科医生的沟通，请尽可能多地学习HS。Kirkorian建议访问HS Foundation., which offers basic information about the condition as well as more in-depth discussions on treatments and research. Steer clear of any information online that isn’t clearly from a trusted source, she says.
如果您所在地区没有任何皮肤科医生，Kirkorian建议寻找提供远程医疗约会的皮肤科实践。虽然视频访问不适合所有的皮肤状况，但“HS”的诊断通常不会那么具有挑战性，“她说。这意味着HS的大部分时间预约通常都花了讨论症状和治疗。必要时，患者可以拍摄受影响地区的照片，并通过安全平台向医生发送给医生。
Whether you’re looking for a telehealth or in-person appointment with a dermatologist, asking your primary care doctor for a referral can be a good place to start, says Kirkorian. You may also be able to get recommendations from online support or discussion groups, such as those found atHope for HS在Facebook上。
Above all, “People shouldn’t delay seeking care,” says Kirkorian. “We don’t want to wait until there is scarring or disability from the disease. I’d rather see a patient early than wait until their HS is really severe.”
