Welcome to the Fall 2022 edition of the HS Update, an initiative from the Canadian HS foundation started in 2019. We continue to work toward our strategic plan of “Helping Canadian Dermatologists better manage HS”.

Most recently, 12 Canadian dermatologists attended the October 2022 annual Symposium for Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances (SHSA) in Miami. This was a fantastic meeting! With an abundance of ongoing research in HS, 32 new drugs with 20 different mechanisms of action, the future looks bright for HS patients. There were also many new non-profit patient organizations at the meeting who offer support for patients including the Canadian HS Heroes, online resources such as a dietician who can virtually see patients (or online courses are available), and new clothing lines such as Hidrawear non-adherent dressings (see links in resources section). In Canada, the HS subspeciality symposium was held in June at the Canadian Dermatology Association Annual Meeting. These two events provide excellent high-quality interactive educational opportunities to attendees. 

We have also developed an EMR template published in the JCMS “Practical Guidelines in HS”, in order to encourage more dermatologists to see patients with HS (see link in resources section). We have developed a patient handout and revised the informative evidence-based patient E-book on HS, both of which are available on our website in the resources section. Also helpful for patients is the informative deroofing video courtesy of board-certified dermatologists Dr. Lauren Lam and Dr. Chris Keeling on our website. Watch for informative social media snippets to be developed this year, which will aim to reach HS patients searching for a diagnosis.  

I hope you enjoy the E-book, use the resources on our website, and we welcome your feedback and suggestions for future initiatives to help dermatologists provide better care for HS patients in Canada. 

Susan Poelman MSc FRCPC

President, Canadian Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation