Pilonidal sinus cases on the rise in Hyderabad; doctors link condition to long sitting hours

HYDERABAD: Does your job require you to sit for long hours? If so, beware! This might lead to pilonidal sinus. Once considered a rare condition, it is now becoming increasingly common, with doctors in Hyderabad receiving more cases of pilonidal sinus.

In this condition, a small tunnel-like hole forms under the skin, usually right above the crease between the buttocks. While such cases were reported once in a blue moon a few years ago, doctors are now seeing at least two to three per week, especially among youngsters in their early 20s. Once considered a problem of lorry and bus drivers, the condition is now becoming common among software engineers. Recently, a 24-year-old man with no comorbidities underwent surgery at Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad."We observed a single opening in the natal cleft (crease located between the buttocks) and then put him on a course of antibiotics as well as admitted him for surgery. To close the defective hole, we took the adjacent skin layer and rotated it using a Limberg flap procedure. While a scar will be there, usually Z-shaped, this procedure reduces the recurrence of this condition in comparison to simply cutting out the sinus.

Hence, long-term results are usually better," said a general surgeon of Gandhi Hospital on condition of anonymity.

Doctors say people with excessive hair growth are at greater risk of developing this condition. "The body reacts to the ingrown or loose hairs in the buttock cleft as a foreign agent, which initiates an inflammatory response. This usually leads to the formation of a cyst or sinus tract around the hair. Activities such as prolonged sitting and tight clothing can cause friction and pressure, pushing hairs deeper into skin," said Dr Narendra Gogi Reddy, Surgical Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hyderguda.Dr Pallam Praveen, HOD, General Surgery Dept, OGH, suggested that people with excessive hair in the concerned region can go for minimally invasive laser treatments. He added that prolonged sitting should also be avoided.