Gender‐specific prevalence of pilonidal sinus disease over time: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

• Published in: ANZ journal of surgery Vol. 91; no. 7-8; pp. 1582 - 1587
• Main Authors: Luedi, Markus M., Schober, Patrick, Stauffer, Verena K., Diekmann, Maja, Andereggen, Lukas, Doll, Dietrich
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01.07.2021; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Body weight; Females; Gender; gender medicine; hair; Health risks; Men; Meta-analysis; pilonidal sinus disease; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Women
• ISSN: 1445-1433; 1445-2197
• DOI: 10.1111/ans.16990

Background Gender‐specific risk factors have been suggested to promote a fourfold higher incidence of pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) in male as compared to female patients. However, in recent decades there has been an apparent shift towards an increasing prevalence of PSD in women, as body weight and other risk factors influence the disease. We aimed at determining whether PSD prevalence actually changed in men and women over time. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID: 42016051588), databases were systematically searched. Papers reporting on PSD published between 1833 and 2018 in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish containing precise numbers of male and female participants were selected for analysis. Gender‐specific prevalence of PSD over several decades was the main outcome measure. Results We screened 679 studies reporting on 104 055 patients and found that the male/female ratio in patients with PSD has remained constant over time, with women being affected in about 20% of all PSD cases (I2 = 96.18%; meta‐regression p < 0.001). Conclusion While the prevalence of PSD has risen over the past decades, the ratio between affected males and affected females has remained constant, with women invariably representing about 20% of patients despite wide ranging socioeconomic and behavioural changes. We aimed at determining whether pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) prevalence actually changed in men and women over time and found that, despite wide ranging socioeconomic and behavioural changes within the last decades, the male‐to‐female ratio of PSD remains 4:1, meaning that both genders are still equally exposed to PSD promoting factors. PSD seems to be a gender independent disease.