• It is thought that around 1-2% of the general population suffer from HS.1
• HS affects more women than men.
• Family members of patients with HS are more likely to develop HS (see ‘Is HS hereditary?’).
• HS is most likely to start in late adolescence or early twenties, but it can also start in middle age in some people.
• There is some evidence to suggest that the older you are when you first get HS, the better your prognosis is.2
• For most people, their HS tends to subside after middle age. But for a few, the disease can persist into old age.
• It is extremely uncommon for children to have HS before puberty. If a child has HS, it is likely that the doctors will investigate him or her for hormone imbalances such as precocious puberty (early onset of puberty) as this is likely to be the underlying cause of the HS. However, there have been a few rare cases of children being affected by HS without any underlying hormonal abnormality.
• In a few cases HS is associated with:
  • Severe acne, inflammation of hair follicles in the scalp and pilonidal sinus
  • Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory condition of the bowel)
  • Joint problems

Most people who have HS will not have any of these conditions. Also, some medications, in particular lithium and the combined oestrogen/progestogen oral contraceptive pill may be associated with HS.

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