Genetic Link Found Between HS and Cardiometabolic Disease

TOPLINE:
Genetic susceptibility to hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is linked to an increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes, according to a cohort study, which also suggests significant genetic correlations and altered plasma protein expressions associated with these conditions.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a cohort study using data from the UK Biobank, including 391,481 individuals of European ancestry (median age, 58 years) between 2006 and 2010.
A polygenic risk score for HS was used to examine risks for CAD and diabetes.
Genetic correlations were assessed.
The main outcomes were diagnoses of CAD and diabetes.
Genetic variants for HS were significantly correlated with variants for CAD, diabetes, and plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein (all P < .001). There were no significant correlations between HS and atrial fibrillation, plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, or blood pressure.
A high polygenic risk score for HS (≥ 75th percentile) increased the odds of CAD and diabetes by 9% and 13%, respectively (both P < .001).
Researchers analyzed the expression of 2911 plasma proteins in 41,882 individuals and identified 58 proteins with levels that were significantly altered based on their polygenic risk score for HS.
Combining both the polygenic risk score and the altered plasma protein profiles improved the performance of predictive models for CAD and diabetes compared with the reference models based on sex, age, and body mass index.
IN PRACTICE:
“Our study contributes insights into the multifaceted implications of HS beyond the dermatologic manifestations alone,” the authors wrote, noting that the results “suggest a correlation between genetic variants for HS, CAD, and diabetes and that genetic susceptibility to HS was associated with increased risk of incident CAD and diabetes.”
SOURCE:
The study was led by Valdemar Wendelboe Nielsen, BSc, of the Department of Dermato-Venereology and Wound Healing Centre, Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published online on October 9 in JAMA Dermatology.
LIMITATIONS:
The study’s general makeup of the UK Biobank cohort could introduce a healthy volunteer bias, and the polygenic risk score used may not capture all true associations because of its modest effect sizes. The study was limited to individuals of European ancestry and may not be generalizable to other population groups.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was supported by grants and fellowships from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Danish Heart Foundation, the John and Birthe Meyer Foundation, and others. The authors received grants, royalties, research funding, nonfinancial support, honoraria, and personal fees outside this work.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
 
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