Purpose:

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus (SPS) has a higher incidence among young males, especially among army recruits than in the rest of the population. The purpose of this study was to investigate measures that could determine individuals who have a higher probability of having the disease than others.

Method:

The study was conducted during a period of three months. All male patients with primary SPS who were consecutively admitted to our ambulatory care facility constituted the study group. The control group included 76 consecutive male patients who had no SPS and reported unrelated complaints during the same period. For each patient; age, skin color, height, weight, depth of the natal cleft and hip circumference were recorded, and body-mass index calculated. The data were compared between the two groups using Student’s t test and Chi-square test. The results except skin color data are given as Mean±SEM.

Results:

A total of 86 patients with primary SPS were included in the study group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, height and hip circumference. The mean depth of the natal cleft was significantly increased in the study group (5.2±0.8 vs 4.5±0.8 cm in the controls, p<0.001). When compared with subjects in the control group, patients with SPS also had a higher mean body weight (74±0.9 vs 71.1±1.0 kg, p=0.04) and a higher mean body-mass index (24.5±0.3 vs 23.6±0.3, p=0.027). The study group included a higher proportion of dark skinned individuals as compared to controls.

Conclusion:

Those subjects who are overweight and/or have an increased body-mass index, and who are dark skinned may be at risk for the development of SPS. We suggest that these subjects may benefit from preventable measures.

Keywords: Pilonidal sinus, etiology, obesity, body-mass index, hip circumference, skin color