What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) already receiving antibiotics.
What They Found
Among 43 patients, the HBOT group showed significantly greater improvements at week 10, with 100% of patients achieving a ≥50% reduction in modified Sartorius score (SS) and HS Severity Index (HSSI), compared to the control group. Significant improvements were also seen in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) for 95.5% of HBOT patients and in inflammatory markers like ESR (100%) and CRP (72.7%). These improvements were statistically significant for HSSI (P=0.009), SS (P=0.021), and DLQI (P=0.009 at week 10).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy could potentially offer an additional treatment option to improve disease severity and quality of life when combined with antibiotics. This therapy may lead to better clinical outcomes and reduced inflammation.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and therefore has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
Limitations include the study being single-center, open-label, and potentially having a small sample size.