Inflammation of the sweat glands in the armpits and groin due to a bacterial infection.
Abscesses develop beneath the skin, which becomes reddened and painful and may ooze pus.
The condition tends to be recurrent and can eventually cause scarring in the affected areas.
Antibiotic drugs may help to reduce the severity of an outbreak.
an unpleasant condition characterized by deep abscesses in the armpits, groin, and anogenital regions leading to sinuses and bridge scarring. It is regarded as part of the *follicular occlusion tetrad. It is three times more common in women and may be under androgen control. Treatment is by weight loss, smoking cessation, long-term antibiotics, anti-androgens, or occasionally surgery. The condition is difficult to treat but often resolves spontaneously after many years.
A chronic in?ammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands (see PERSPIRATION). It is more common in women – in whom it usually occurs in the armpit – than in men, in whom it is most common in the perineum of the drivers of lorries and taxis. It occurs in the form of painful, tender lumps underneath the skin, which burst often in a week or so. Treatment consists of removal by operation.... hydradenitis suppurativa
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