Efferocytosis-Related Transcriptional Dysregulation in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Lesional Macrophages: A Multi-Cohort Single-Cell and Bulk Transcriptomic Study

Background/Objectives: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which inflammation progresses to tunnels and fibrosis rather than resolving. Efferocytosis, the macrophage clearance of apoptotic cells, is a central mechanism of inflammation resolution, but its transcriptional status in HS is uncharacterized. We investigated whether an externally derived 167-gene efferocytosis-related panel (ER167) is transcriptionally perturbed in HS.