Damage in hidradenitis suppurativa: a narrative review emphasizing the need for a novel outcome measure

Cutaneous damage caused by hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an important contributor to disease burden, independent of active lesions. Outcome measures used to specifically assess damage are becoming commonplace in the assessment of inflammatory diseases. However, no standardized method for assessing HS damage currently exists. The purpose of this study was to review outcome measures in HS that include constructs of both active disease and damage, review damage-specific instruments used in other inflammatory and destructive diseases, and review instruments used to assess scars of various aetiologies. This ultimately provides insight into how attributes of different tools can be applied to develop an outcome measure specific to HS damage.