Burden of pilonidal disease and improvement in quality of life after treatment in adolescents

Topic overview

New article you should know! by Dr. Cecilia Gigena
"Burden of pilonidal disease and improvement in quality of life after treatment in adolescents”

Authors: Fereshteh Salimi-Jazi, Claire Abrajano, Deanna Garza, Talha Rafeeqi, Razie Yousefi, Emi Hartman, Kira Hah, Melissa Wilcox, Modupeola Diyaolu, Stephanie Chao, Wendy Su, Thomas Hui, Claudia Mueller, Julie Fuchs, Bill Chiu

Full article: https://gcmd.co/3Q4Dx4Y

Purpose

Pilonidal Disease (PD) affects adolescents in different aspects. We hypothesized that patients with different gender, ethnicity, and age have different quality of life (QOL) measurements which could improve with minimally invasive treatment (MIT).

Methods

131 PD patients underwent MIT (laser epilation ± trephination) from 2019 to 2021. Patients’ demographics were recorded. Before and after MIT, patients received QOL questionnaire consisting of four categories: daily activities, sports participation, school/work attendance, and socializing. Data were analyzed using Student and multivariate t test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

101 (51 male, 50 female) patients were included. 30 patients with incomplete data were excluded. 54% of patients were < 18 years old. 47.5% were Hispanic. Median symptom duration prior to presentation was 5.4 (1.3–15) months. Prior to MIT, patients’ ability to perform daily activities, participate in sports, attend school/work, and socialize was moderately or severely impacted in 66%, 57%, 45%, and 23% of respondents, respectively; after MIT, only 7%, 8%, 2%, and 4% were affected (p < 0.01). Recurrence rate was 6%. Pre-MIT, older patients and non-Hispanics reported worse impact on their QOL. Symptom duration or PD recurrence did not correlate with patient’s pre- or post-MIT QOL.

Conclusion

Patients’ ethnicity and age impacted QOL in PD. All patients’ QOL significantly improved with MIT. Considering the importance of socializing, playing sports, and school/work attendance in adolescents, our study highlights importance of early treatment of PD.

Intended audience: Healthcare professionals and clinicians.