About the disease
Hyperhidrosis is a condition when a person starts to excessively sweat for some reason. According to American site WebMD, approximately 2% to 3% of Americans are diagnosed with hyperhidrosis annually. Most commonly, excessive sweating develops in the underarms. Some people develop axillary, or secondary, hyperhidrosis, which manifests itself in the sweating in the palms or soles of the feet. This condition can be quite challenging as it can present difficulties in personal and professional aspects of life. Excessive sweating can interfere with normal perception of a person's image, who can't exchange normal handshake or hold a pen for a continuous period of time without it slipping from the hand. Most commonly, a person starts to develop hyperhidrosis when he/she enters the puberty. The age of 12-13 is the most common when excessive sweating starts to be an issue. Most commonly, hyperhidrosis develops as a result of certain neurologic or endocrinologic conditions, which make a person to sweat excessively. Some nerves contribute to excessive sweating. Certain allergies or infections in some cases can contribute to the development of hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis can become more active in the summertime or when a person is nervous/physically exercises. In people with endocrinologic problems, such as diabetes, excessive sweating can be most active at night and is not related to any stressful situation or physical exertions. In some cases hyperhidrosis can develop after the menopause, which can also be accompanied by the hot flashes.
Symptoms
- Excessive sweating at night
- Sweating, which is visible even after a person just showered
- In some cases chills
- Lightheadedness
- Fever
- Nausea
Diagnosis
- Thermoregulatory sweat test is used to determine what is the underlying condition which causes hyperhidrosis. It also determines the stage of hyperhidrosis and the time when a person is most likely to develop hyperhidrosis.
- Blood test and urinalysis are used to determine if there is an infection, which could have caused hyperhidrosis.
- Hormonal test is used to determine if overactive or underactive thyroid causes excessive sweating.
Treatment
- Conservative treatment includes prescription of certain oral drugs, which control axillary sweat glands production. If hyperhidrosis is a secondary disease, caused by certain hormonal condition, a person needs to undergo hormonal therapy to normalize the hormonal count of the body. Botox injections can be used to stop production of sweat as well.
- Laser treatment can also be an effective way of hyperhidrosis treatment for people who sweat excessively in the underarms.
- Surgical removal of axillary sweat glands is used if hyperhidrosis can not be handled by conservative treatment. By removing the axillary sweat glands a surgeon reaches the objective of reduced sweating in the patient. The surgery is minimally invasive and rarely poses any danger.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
