A case of severe hidradenitis suppurativa contributing to a death and a review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE Our aim was to report a fatal complication of hidradenitis suppurativa and a review of the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS A case of severe hidradenitis suppurativa obscuring the diagnosis and precluding the treatment of a ruptured sigmoid diverticulum is presented. RESULTS We describe a 48-year-old woman who had a long history of untreated hidradenitis suppurativa with extensive vulvar involvement and poor nutritional status. The advanced state of her disease on initial presentation led directly to her death. CONCLUSION Although it is a treatable disease, hidradenitis suppurativa can lead to systemic sequelae severe enough to contribute directly to death.