Hidradenitis Suppurativa is Associated with Higher Heart Rate but Not Atrial Fibrillation: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study of 462 Individuals with Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Denmark

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory dermatological disease with inflammatory mechanisms overlapping those of psoriasis, and both diseases have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors i.e. smoking and metabolic syndrome. Two studies have recently linked psoriasis with Atrial Fibrillation (AF). AF is the most frequently occurring cardiac arrhythmia in the general population and is typically accompanied by increased heart rate. Both AF and heart rate are linked with inflammation. The aim of the study was to investigate a potential association between HS and increased heart rate as well as AF. We performed a comparative cross-sectional study using digital measurements of heart rate and resting 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) in combination with self-reported information when diagnosing AF. Our study comprised 32 individuals with HS from the hospital (the hospital HS group), 430 from the general population HS group (the population HS group), and 20,780 controls. Age and sex adjusted analysis demonstrated a significantly higher heart rate in the HS groups vs. controls (15% (range: 8-23%) higher for the hospital HS group and 4% (2-5%) higher for the population HS group). We found no association between HS and AF (P=0.1670).