If you have HS, it can have serious effects on your everyday life (see Will daily life be affected by HS?) but it is not usually dangerous to your general physical health.

A minority of people develop serious health complications from the disease (see Are there any complications with HS?) although these are almost never fatal.

HS tends to have significant psychological and social effects on people’s lives (see Will daily life be affected by HS?). This is because of pain, disfigurement, embarrassment, restriction of lifestyle and frequent requirement for treatment with medications and surgery.

The severity of the condition can vary greatly from patient to patient. Some people may have infrequent attacks limited to the armpits or groin; others may have more severe and persistent disease affecting many different areas of the body (see What areas of the body are affected?). The condition does not always progress.

Early in the disease the problems you are likely to encounter include:

• Misdiagnosis
• Difficulty getting accurate information
• Coping with the pain

Later in the disease you may also have problems with:

• Coping with relapses and flares in the condition
• The frustration of treatment ineffectiveness
• Coping with the complications of treatment
• Coping with the physical disfigurement
• Acceptance of the condition and it’s impact on your life
• Relationship changes
• Depression
• Ongoing pain
• Time off work

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