What is Hydradenitis?
Hydradenitis is a purulent inflammation of the sweat glands. Usually, hydradenitis occurs in the armpits, often on the one hand. Also typical for this disease are the localization of the inguinal folds, less often – the areola, near the scrotum, anus (anus), the labia majora.
Causes of Hydradenitis
The disease is caused mainly by Staphylococcus aureus, which penetrates the excretory duct of the sweat glands through the mouth of the hair follicle.
Pathogenesis during Hydradenitis
The development of the disease is influenced by many factors, the main of which is a decrease in body resistance, increased sweating, alkaline sweat, shaving, scratching, poor hygiene, endocrine diseases such as diabetes, impaired function of the sex glands. Women get sick more often. In elderly people, the disease practically does not occur, as the function of sweat glands decreases with age.
Symptoms of Hydradenitis
The disease begins with the appearance in the thickness of the skin dense knots of small size, slightly painful when palpating. Further, there is a rapid increase in the nodes in size, soldering them with the skin, bulging in the form of nipples, with the result that they take the form of a “bitch udder”. This increases the pain, the skin above the nodes becomes bluish color, there is swelling of nearby tissues. Often there is a merger of single nodes, their softening due to the formation of pus in them, which is released when a spontaneous opening of the lesion. When hydradenitis necrotic rod is not formed. In more complex cases, a very dense infiltration of cellulitis may occur. Hydradenitis is usually accompanied by general symptoms in the form of malaise, a temperature reaction, sharp pains in the affected area. Improvement of the general condition and local phenomena occurs after the opening of the lesion with the expiration of pus. At the site of hydradenitis, an ulcer is formed after several days, followed by scarring. Infiltrate resolves longer. Often the process takes a long time due to a relapse of the disease. This most often happens in overweight patients suffering from diabetes, excessive sweating, and untidy people.
Diagnostics of Hydradenitis
The diagnosis is made on the characteristic clinical picture. Differentiate with boils, collixive tuberculosis.
Hydradenitis Treatment
In the initial stages, ultrasound, UHF, ultraviolet treatment, “lozenges” of pure ichthyol are used. These treatments are aimed at preventing the maturation of hydradenitis. In case of formation of abscesses, surgical methods of treatment are used.
Novocainic blockades are prescribed, i.e., hydradenite is cut off with a 0.5-1% solution of novocaine with antibiotics. This procedure is advisable in the presence of infiltration with severe pain. In cases of persistent and recurrent hydradenitis, a staphylococcal vaccine is used. Basically, the treatment of hydradenitis is the same as with boils.
Prevention of Hydradenitis
Prevention is based on hygienic skills, which include washing in the shower, bath, underarm treatment with disinfectants, such as salicylic, boric alcohol.