Hyperhidrosis, when you sweat too often

Sweat functions to adjust body temperature to the outside temperature which is indicated by the discharge of fluids from the skin. However, what if someone is sweating too often or sweats all the time? This may be a sign of hyperhidrosis.

What is hyperhidrosis?

Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body produces excessive sweating when the body is not supposed to sweat, such as when the weather is cold or there are no triggers.

Symptoms can appear with varying frequency, at least one day a week. The sweaty body parts can be different, or even the whole body, both the right and / or the left.

Even so, there are several parts of the body that experience this condition more frequently, such as the armpits, palms and feet, face, chest, and around the groin.

Based on the cause, hyperhidrosis is divided into two types, namely primary hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis.

Primary hyperhidrosis

In primary types, the cause of the disease is often not clearly known, but most likely occurs due to increased sympathetic nerve activity or it could also be due to the spread of eccrine glands in the body that are not normal.

This type occurs in a very specific area of ​​the body and is usually more evenly distributed, with both the left and right body parts affected. Areas that frequently sweat are the hands, feet, armpits, and face or head.

Primary hyperhidrosis often starts in childhood or adolescence, mostly begins with excessive sweating of the palms and feet.

People with this condition usually experience excessive sweating at least once a week. However, the symptoms rarely occur when they sleep at night.

Secondary hyperhidrosis

In the secondary type, excessive sweating is caused by another condition that the sufferer has. This type is divided into three types, namely as follows.

• Emotional hypohidrosis, triggered by feelings of fear and anxiety. Generally attacks the armpits, palms and soles of the feet.
• Local hypohidrosis, caused by sympathetic nerve damage that occurs due to injury from an accident or birth.
• Generalized hyperhidrosis, arises due to autonomic nerve disorders (peripheral nerves) or the presence of other diseases such as diabetes insipidus, heart disease, Parkinson's, the effects of menopause, and the effects of drugs.

Apart from the cause, what distinguishes the secondary type and the primary type is the timing of their appearance. Those with the secondary type often sweat at night while sleeping. It also happens only when a person is an adult.

How common is this condition?

It is not known exactly how many individuals have hyperhidrosis in Indonesia. However, it is estimated that there are about 1 percent of the world's population who have this condition. This number can still increase considering that there are many cases that are not recorded.

Both men and women have the same chance of developing hyperhidrosis. It's just that hyperhidrosis is more common in women than men.

This condition can possibly be passed from parents to children, with a greater chance that about 30-50% of sufferers have a family history of hyperhidrosis.

Symptoms of hyperhidrosis first appear at any age, but the appearance of symptoms and development occurs mostly in adolescence to early adulthood.

Is hyperhidrosis dangerous?

Basically hyperhidrosis is not life threatening and does not cause other complications.

However, individuals who experience hyperhidrosis often feel anxious and uncomfortable with their condition so that they avoid contact with other people and control their condition even though they can be controlled.

This causes people with this condition to withdraw from the social environment. They rarely participate in social activities, especially those involving physical activities such as sports for fear of sweating.

Immediately take control measures and consult your GP if the condition is considered to be interfering with the following activities.

• Feeling that you should avoid physical contact with other people, such as shaking hands.
• Feeling too worried about sweat all the time.
• Choose to withdraw from sports and study activities.
• Interfere with work such as being unable to write or type.
• Changing clothes or bathing too often.
• Withdrawing from the social environment.

If you have a condition that triggers hyperhidrosis, watch your disease progress and seek treatment immediately if the sweating worsens and causes:

• drastic weight loss,
• accompanied by fever, pain in the chest, difficulty breathing and heart palpitations,
• chest feels depressed when sweating, as well
• disturbance during sleep.

In some cases, if not treated properly, hyperhidrosis can also lead to other problems such as fungal infections due to body humidity, skin disorders such as boils and warts, and body odor.

How to control excessive sweating?

The initial treatment that should be done when you find out that you have a hyperhidrosis condition is to change your daily lifestyle. Below are some suggestions.

• Wearing thin and baggy clothes.
• Avoiding excessive sweating triggers such as alcohol consumption and spicy foods.
• Wear dark colored clothes to disguise spots when sweating.
• Avoid tight clothing with man-made fibers such as nylon.
• Wear socks that absorb sweat and change them every day.
• Wear different shoes every day.

If this doesn't work and the hyperhidrosis condition interferes too much with your activities, there are several products and therapies that may be offered as follows.

• Antiperspirants to suppress sweat production.
• Undergo iontophoresis, which is low-voltage electrical therapy for areas of the body that frequently sweat.
• Botulinum toxin injection to inhibit sweat-producing nerves under the arms.
• Operation action endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) on the sweaty area of ​​the body by severing the nerves.

In general, hyperhidrosis affects a person's condition for life, but for some people the symptoms can improve after being controlled.