Ponce-Alvarado et al. (2026)
Abstract
Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory follicular disease
characterized by painful nodules, abscesses, draining tunnels, and scarring in intertriginous
areas. Diagnostic delay promotes irreversible structural damage and substantial physical and
psychosocial burden. Objective: To summarize clinical criteria for early HS diagnosis in primary
care, identify warning signs and relevant differential diagnoses, and propose a tiered referral
pathway based on severity, location, and complexity. Evidence sources: A structured narrative
review of PubMed/MEDLINE and official journal and scientific-society sources was performed,
prioritizing international guidelines, consensus statements, systematic reviews, and primary-care
studies published from January 2020 through August 31, 2026, together with seminal diagnostic
and severity-classification studies. Synthesis: Diagnosis relies on three pillars: compatible
morphology, typical distribution, and recurrence/chronicity. Two or more episodes within six
months in intertriginous sites provide a practical recognition threshold. Draining tunnels, scarring,
multisite disease, moderate-to-severe IHS4, major quality-of-life impact, and inadequate control
in primary care justify prioritized dermatology referral. Systemic toxicity suggesting deep infection,
complex perianal disease with gastrointestinal symptoms, atypical or non-healing chronic lesions,
and suicidal risk warrant accelerated condition-specific pathways. Routine bacterial cultures do
not establish HS. High-frequency ultrasound can define subclinical extent, whereas magnetic
resonance imaging is particularly valuable in complex perianal or deep disease. Conclusion:
Pattern recognition, brief severity assessment, and structured warning-sign triage can shorten
time to diagnosis and facilitate timely referral before inflammatory disease progresses to
permanent tunnels and scars.
Keywords: hidradenitis suppurativa; primary care; early diagnosis; differential diagnosis; referral;
ultrasound; inflammatory skin disease.
preceder al desarrollo de daño
1
. Introducción
anatómico permanente [1].
La hidradenitis supurativa (HS),
también denominada acne inversa,
es una enfermedad inflamatoria
crónica, recurrente y cicatrizante del
La HS no es una enfermedad rara.
Una
revisión
sistemática
estimó
y
metarregresión
una
prevalencia global ajustada de
aproximadamente 0,40%, aunque
las estimaciones varían de forma
folículo
piloso
que
aparece
predominantemente después de la
pubertad y afecta áreas de pliegues.
Su expresión clínica abarca nódulos
profundos dolorosos, abscesos,
importante
diagnóstico y la población estudiada
3]. La enfermedad suele comenzar
según
el
método
[
túneles
drenantes,
comedones
en adultos jóvenes y puede tener
una distribución epidemiológica
heterogénea por sexo y grupo
poblacional [4]. Estas características
hacen que la atención primaria sea
un punto crítico tanto para el
abiertos dobles y cicatrices fibrosas.
Las guías europeas S2k de 2026
subrayan que el diagnóstico es
fundamentalmente clínico y que el
reconocimiento
temprano
debe