Comorbidities are not associated with pain symptom or recurrence in patients with pilonidal disease
link.springer.com shows its articles on its own site.
Read the article on link.springer.com ↗Article · Mar 2024 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This retrospective study of 207 pilonidal disease patients treated with minimally invasive protocol found that comorbidities—including psychiatric disorders, asthma, obesity, and diabetes—did not increase pain symptoms or recurrence rates. Younger patients had higher recurrence risk, but comorbidity presence showed no association with outcomes in either adolescent or adult groups.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Background
Comorbidities can potentially impact the presentation or outcome of patients with pilonidal disease (PD) due to poor wound healing or increased inflammatory response. We hypothesized that certain comorbidities could lead to worse pain or higher recurrence rate.
Methods
A retrospective study was performed on all PD patients treated with standardized minimally invasive protocol at our clinic 2019–2022. Patients’ demographics, comorbidities, initial/follow-up pain score, pain duration, and recurrence were recorded. Data were analyzed by t test and Chi-square test.
Results
Of 207 total PD patients (108 male, 99 female), 61 had comorbidities. Mean age was 18.2 years. The recurrence rate was 7%, and patients with recurrence were significantly younger. Associated comorbidities included mood/psychiatric disorders (31%), asthma/respiratory illness (30%), obesity-related illness (15%), gastrointestinal disorders (13%), diabetes (10%), thyroid disease (8%), cardiac disease (8%), musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders (7%), immunologic disease (7%), inflammatory bowel disease (5%), and chest wall disorders (3%). The presence of comorbidities was not associated with PD recurrence. By dividing patients into adolescents (< 18 years) and adults (≥ 18 years), we found no association between comorbidity and recurrence in either group. 55% of patients had pain as an initial symptom. The initial pain score, pain duration, and pain score at follow-up were not associated with comorbidities. The comorbidities and recurrence were not associated with patient age or sex.
Conclusions
Having comorbidities was not associated with pain symptoms or recurrence in PD patients. Even though patients with recurrence were younger, there was no association between comorbidity and recurrence in either adolescents or adults.