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Sweat is basically water, which contains few traces of chemical compounds such as ammonia, urea and sodium (salt). However, there is a condition that makes a person sweat blood called hematohidrosis.
What is hematohidrosis?
Hematohidrosis (bloody sweating) is a rare condition characterized by sweating in the form of blood.
People who have this disease can sweat blood anywhere on the body, but the face and forehead are the most common locations. Usually a blood sweat will last only about one to five minutes.
In the case of hematohidrosis, blood leaks out of healthy skin and shows no signs of open sores, such as regular sweating.
Not only sweating, sometimes the symptoms are accompanied by bleeding from the nose and ears. Some patients may also experience crying blood.
The cause of the appearance of blood sweat
The cause of hematohidrosis is not known with certainty because it is rare and not clearly understood.
The latest suspicion is the result of abnormal narrowing and widening activity in the blood vessels closest to the skin. As a result, blood passes through nearby sweat glands.
This condition generally occurs when a person feels very scared or stressed. Both of these negative emotions cause the brain to release large amounts of the hormone cortisol.
This is usually temporary and does not cause long-term health damage. The blood that comes out also tends to be a little. However, in rare cases it can cause the rupture of small blood vessels, allowing blood to pass through the sweat glands.
In addition, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), blood sweating may be related to bleeding disorders such as difficult blood clotting or high blood pressure (hypertension).
Another theory suggests that hematohidrosis may be caused by psychogenic purpura. Psychogenic purpura is spontaneous bleeding and bruising that appears without injury or other known cause.
In some cases, this disease has also been associated with a named condition vicarious menstruation. Vicarious menstruation is a rare condition in which menstrual bleeding occurs not only in the lining of the uterine cavity, but also in other parts of the body.
How to deal with blood sweat?
Because so little is known about hematohidrosis, there are no clear guidelines on how to treat it. There is no specific drug that can cure patients of this condition.
To stop bleeding from the surface of the skin, treatment usually includes controlling the things that trigger the disorder, such as stress management or emotional management.
Before that, an examination needs to be done to ascertain and find out the causes that give rise to this condition. Some of the procedures that will be carried out are as follows.
- Biopsy or taking a sample of the skin that is bleeding blood.
- Benzidine test, to detect the presence of hemoglobin in sweat.
- Check blood count.
- Coagulation test to determine the ability of blood to clot.
- Vasculitis screening to see if there is any possibility of inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
- Check the platelet count.
- Psychiatric referral to see if blood sweat is triggered by psychological factors
Some doctors may suggest laboratory tests to check your kidneys and liver. Urine and stool samples may also be used to check for other abnormalities. Performing an ultrasound of the abdomen or gastrointestinal endoscopy can also help with the detection.
If lab tests find no abnormality, and if you also experience excessive stress, your doctor may recommend treatments to help you deal with fear, stress, and other emotions.
This can include taking antidepressant drugs or anti-anxiety medications. Sometimes psychotherapy will be recommended by a doctor.
