Ersin Turan, Suleyman Kargin, Osman Dogru

To tuck or not to tuck: Can undershirt tucking habit affectthe development of pilonidal sinus disease?

Aim: Pilonidal sinus disease is a disease that is commonly seen in surgical practice. So far, many factors have been blamed in thedevelopment and etiology of pilonidal sinus disease. Our aim was to investigate whether a particular dressing habit, tucking of the undershirt into underwear, had a role in the development of pilonidal sinus disease. Materials and Methods: Between January 2013 and May 2015, 923 patients with pilonidal sinus disease were admitted to our clinic.These patients and 685 other patients who presented to our clinic with other benign diseases (cholelithiasis etc.) were questioned about their dressing habits.Results: In our study we questioned undershirt tucking habit; 444 (48%) of the patients with pilonidal sinus disease had a habit of tucking their undershirt into their underwear, while 479 (52%) did not. Whereas, in the control group, 384 (56%) had this habit, while 301 (44%) did not. Comparisons revealed a statistically significant difference between patients and controls in terms of undershirt tucking habits; those with pilonidal sinus disease were more likely to not tuck their undershirts into their underwear.Conclusions: This is the first study to show that a simple, costless dressing precaution may be effective in the prevention of pilonidalsinus disease. Further studies with better-organized groups are required to confirm our findings.

PDF

___

1. da Silva JH. Pilonidal cyst: cause and treatment. Dis Colon Rectum 2000;43:1146-56.
2. Balentine J. Pilonidal cyst and sinus from emergency
medicine/infection diseases. eMed J 2001;2:8
3. Davage ON. The origin of sacrococcygeal pilonidal
sinuses based on an analysis of four hundred sixty-
three cases. Am J Pathol 1954;30:1191-205.
4. Khanna A, Rombeau JL. Pilonidal disease. Clin Colon
Rectal Surg 2011;24:46-53.
5. Bascom J, Bascom T. Failed pilonidal surgery: new
paradigm and new operation leading to cures. Arch
Surg 2002;137:1146-51.
6. Karydakis GE. New approach to the problem of
pilonidal sinus. Lancet 1973;2:1414-5.
7. de Onis M, Lobstein T. Defining obesity risk status
in the general childhood population: which cut-offs
should we use?. Int J Pediatr Obes 2010;5:458-60.
8. Fitzpatrick TB. The validity and practicality of sun-
reactive skin types I through VI. Arch Dermatol
1988;124:869-71.
9. Bolandparvaz S, Moghadam Dizaj P, Salahi R, et al.
Evaluation of the risk factors of pilonidal sinus: a single
center experience. Turk J Gastroenterol 2012;23:535-7.
10. Yildiz T, Ilce Z, Kucuk A. Modified Limberg flap
technique in the treatment of pilonidal sinus disease
in teenagers. J Pediatr Surg 2014;49:1610-3.
11. Sakr MF, Elserafy ME, Hamed HM, et al. Management
of 634 consecutive patients with chronic pilonidal
sinus: a nine-year experience of a single institute.
Surg Sci 2012;3:145-54.
12. Karydakis GE. Easy and successful treatment of
pilonidal sinus after explanation of its causative
process. Aust N Z J Surg 1992;62:385-9.
13. Harlak A, Mentes O, Kilic S, et al. Sacrococcygeal
pilonidal disease: analysis of previously proposed risk
factors. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2010;65:125-31.
14. Arda IS, Guney LH, Sevmis S, et al. High body mass
index as a possible risk factor for pilonidal sinus
disease in adolescents. World J Surg 2005;29:469-71.
15. Akinci OF, Bozer M, Uzunköy A, et al. Incidence and
aetiological factors in pilonidal sinus among Turkish
soldiers. Eur J Surg 1999;165:339-42