Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Reduce Surgeries and Hospitalizations in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Multicenter TriNetX Cohort Study

September 2025 | Volume 24 | Issue 9 | 869 | Copyright © September 2025


Published online August 31, 2025

Neal Gupta MDa,b, Kayla Zafar BAa,c, Paras Patel BAa,e, Margaret Kabakova BSa,b, Alexia Collins BAa,b, Maile Ray D.Sc MPHd, Ashley Shayya MPHd, Sandra McGinnis PhDd, Alana Kurtti MDa,b, Marc Cohen MDa,b, Evan Austin MDa,b, Kristina M. Derrick MDa,b, Sharon Glick MDa,b, Jared Jagdeo MD MSa,b

aDermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY
bDepartment of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
cSt. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies
dCenter for Human Services Research, State University of New York, University at Albany, Albany, NY
eRowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ

Abstract
Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin condition frequently associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists have emerged as promising agents for managing type 2 diabetes mellitus due to their potent effects on glycemic control and weight reduction. Recent evidence suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists may also possess anti-inflammatory properties, potentially making them effective in treating inflammatory conditions, such as hidradenitis suppurativa.
Objective: To determine if glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists reduce surgeries and hospitalizations in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.
Methods: We utilized the TriNetX platform to evaluate the rate of surgical abscess repairs performed and hospitalizations in a propensity score-matched cohort of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa who were prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
Results: Our analysis revealed that patients prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists had significantly lower rates of surgeries with a HR of 0.35 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.50) and hospitalizations with a HR of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.92) compared to a control cohort of patients who did not receive glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
Conclusions: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists reduce surgeries and hospitalizations in hidradenitis suppurativa, demonstrating their potential therapeutic value in dermatology patient care.

INTRODUCTION

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease marked by painful abscesses, malodorous discharge, and scarring, often leading to permanent disfigurement with significant social repercussions.1 The pathophysiology of HS is complex, involving genetic, hormonal, and immune factors.2 HS is frequently associated with metabolic disorders, particularly obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).2 Glucagon-like peptide receptor-1 agonists (GLP-1 RA) and combination GLP-1 RA and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonists (GIP-RA) have emerged as promising agents in the management of T2DM due to their potent effects on glycemic control and weight reduction.3 Recent evidence suggests that GLP-1 RA therapy may also possess anti-inflammatory properties, potentially making GLP-1 RAs effective in treating inflammatory conditions such as HS.4 Case studies have demonstrated both clinical improvement and a reduction in serum inflammatory markers with GLP-1 RA therapy.5-7 However, the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 RA therapy in HS remains underexplored, and the current literature offers limited insight into its impact on HS for surgeries and hospitalizations.8 We hypothesized that patients receiving GLP-1 RA therapy would have a reduced rate of HS-related surgeries and hospitalizations compared to a matched control group of HS patients who were not receiving GLP-1 RA therapy. We designed a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX Research Network to evaluate the effect of GLP-1 RA therapy has on the rate of surgeries and hospitalizations in patients with HS.
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