ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Hyperhidrosis

What is Hyperhidrosis?

21:54 - 4 May , 2021

Disease

It refers to excessive sweating due to an abnormal increase in the sweat glands’ secretion mechanisms, mainly due to anxiety, stress, emotional stress, thermal stimuli, or the reaction of some pharmacological substances.

Hyperhidrosis usually affects the personal and professional lives of those who suffer from it because intense sweat can, in addition to soaking clothes, run through the hands and soles of the feet, often causing low self-esteem and social rejection.

This disease is classified as follows:

  • By its location:
    • Generalized: affects the entire body.
    • Localized: only affect certain parts of the body.
  • Causes:
    • Unknown: it is the most common and is located in the armpits, face, hands, and feet.
    • Identified: arises from the presence of infectious diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes, tumors, or the intake of some medications, among others.

Signs and symptoms Hyperhidrosis

  • Foul sweat.
  • Excessive sweating.
  • Skin infections

If you suffer from intense sweating, both during the day and at night, for no apparent reason, which interferes with your daily activities and causes anxiety or anguish, see your doctor as soon as possible so that they can assess you and find the cause of the problem.

Potential risks:

  • Recurring skin infections (dermatitis) due to excessive sweating.
  • Depression and lack of confidence due to the embarrassment caused by having sweat-stained clothes and wet hands, coupled with the difficulty of fitting into the social and work environment.

Diagnosis and treatment Hyperhidrosis

Once your doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, they will perform a physical examination and various tests to determine the origin of the condition, including blood and urine tests to establish whether excessive sweating is due to a pre-existing disease such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism.

They may also order iodine and starch, skin conductance, and thermoregulatory sweat tests to identify areas of increased sweating and the severity of hyperhidrosis.

The treatment focuses on controlling excessive sweating, but if the origin is a pre-existing disease that causes or aggravates the situation, the cause must first be attacked.

Several oral and topical medications can help reduce symptoms, including nerve blockers, botulinum toxin injections, antidepressants, glycopyrrolate creams, and aluminum chloride antiperspirants.

Other procedures include:

  • Sympathectomy: removal of the sympathetic nerve.
  • Microwave therapy: the sweat glands are destroyed through this type of energy.
  • Removal of sweat glands: if you only have excessive sweating in your armpits, those glands may be removed.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments

Internal medicine
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • msdmanuals.com
  • topdoctors.es
  • aedv.es
  • medigraphic.com
  • Marín GCR, Piñeiro PD, Piedra LUJ, et al. Tratamiento de la hiperhidrosis. Invest Medicoquir. 2012;4(1):75-94.
  • Rodríguez BHZ, Montero FSC. Evaluación de la calidad de vida en pacientes sometidos a simpaticotomía videotoracoscópica por Hiperhidrosis palmar. Revista Cubana de Cirugía. 2020;59(1):1-15.
  • Serrano CM, Tufet OJ. Valoración del tratamiento de la hiperhidrosis y bromhidrosis axilar con tecnología microondas. Dermatología Cosmética, Médica y Quirúrgica. 2019;17(4):233-239.
  • Resina E, Jones-Caballero M, Hernández-Núñez A, et al. Hiperhidrosis localizada. Evaluación de la efectividad, calidad de vida, seguridad y satisfacción tras el tratamiento con toxina botulínica. Med Cutan Iber Lat Am. 2018;46(1):22-29.

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