Medical Implication of Excessive Sweating.

There are moments I feel something medical has to be the problem with me, and this is for no other reason than the fact that, I find it really hard to sweat, in a congregation of people sweating excessively, but today's publication is not about me, I have a friend who sweats extremely excessively, he sweats so much that, I get scared for him, in a room where I am complaining about being cold, that is where he finds comfort, since any form of heat would have him sweat really hard. While trying to read about the possible reason for a person to sweat that much, I figured out there is a condition called- Hyperhidrosis, maybe this may not be his own case but, it is certainly an existing condition.

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Sweating is a usual form of how the body gets cooled when it is too hot, it is the nerves that instructs the sweat glands on when it should begin to function, with the occurrence of hyperhidrosis, certain sweat glands work excessively for no good reason, at this point, even unneeded sweat are produced.
Hyperhidrosis, is a condition described as a condition of excessive sweating, without necessarily being in a condition of extreme heat or intense exercise. Heavy sweating isn't a nice condition at all, because it can get daily activity disrupt, creating embarrassment and social anxiety.

Hyperhidrosis occurs in two stages; primary stage and secondary stage of hyperhidrosis.

Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis (Localized sweating): The case of primary hyperhidrosis happens when excessive sweating is not triggered by a temperature rise or any form of physical activity. Hyperhidrosis, affects about 1-3% percentage of the population according to research, it usually starts in childhood or adolescent age. Primary hyperhidrosis does not cause any type of illness, it just comes with sweating excessively, people with primary hyperhidrosis are healthy, as it is not a sign of disease. 1

Excessive sweating affects certain parts of the body like the face, underarms, groin, head, hands or the feet. The symptoms could also affect more than one of the regions. Although, primary hyperhidrosis is not risky medically, it can cause life problems interfering with life quality. Some people get embarrassed by sweating excessively during social gathering's and even work life. Primary hyperhidrosis, often results from;

Some type of foods and odors, including coffee, peanut butter, spices, chocolates and citric acid.
Heat.
Anxiety, emotional stress.
Spinal cord injury.
Primary hyperhidrosis, runs through the family, and it is a hereditary condition.

Secondary Generalized Hyperhidrosis (Generalized Sweating): This form of hyperhidrosis is not so common, as it causes sweats all over the body, unlike the primary type of hyperhidrosis affecting just certain parts of the body. Secondary hyperhidrosis, is a more serious medical condition as it is affected by other underlying medical conditions. The sweat often happens at night, a lot. The possible underlying health conditions that can cause secondary hyperhidrosis include;

Pregnancy.
Menopause.
Diabetes.
Excessive alcoholism.
Tuberculosis.
Parkinson's disease.
Heart failure.
Stroke.
Cancer.
Severe psychological stress.
Certain drugs like antidepressants and insulin.

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Hyperhidrosis affects people differently,
For some people, sweat is noticed;

Under the arms or around the back region.
Bead on your cheeks or forehead.
Dampen or drip down your hands or soaked socks.

Excessive sweating could also be associated with;

Experienced itching and inflammation when ed region gets mixed with the affected region.
Body odor becomes an order when bacteria mix with skin particles.
Residue coming from sweat combination, bacteria and chemicals leaving marks on cloths.
Maceration, often soft in nature, noticed on the sole of the feet.

The type of symptoms felt/noticed, gives clues to the type of hyperhidrosis experienced, but a conclusion should not be drawn without an appropriate medical test. Some medical test that will ascertain the presence of the condition are;

Paper test: The medical expert places a special paper on the affected region in order to absorb sweat, after that, the medical expert, weighs the paper in order to determine level of sweat.
Starch-iodine test: The medical expert applies iodine solution to the sweaty region and then sprinkles starch over the iodine solution, if there is excessive sweating, the solution becomes dark blue.

Treatment for hyperhidrosis.

In the case of primary hyperhidrosis, treatment is focused on reducing the symptoms and improving life quality. Including symptoms like;

Changes in lifestyle: You may be advised to change your routine like putting on breathable fabrics, medical expert will discuss available medical options and choose appropriate treatment option.
Aluminum-based antiperspirants: Antiperspirants functions by sealing up sweat glands, this makes the body to stop producing sweat. Antidepressants work and perform better based on the strength of the antidepressant, although they also come with some type of side effect like skin irritation.
Oral medications: Depending on the advice given by medical experts, some medications come with certain side effects like a blurred vision and urination issues.

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Clinical-grade cloth wipes: Prescribed cloth wipes, containing glycopyrronium tosylate, may reduce armpit sweating. Each cloth comes in a different package, daily usage would come with continued benefits.
Surgery: When other treatments fail to work, surgery may be another way to treat the condition if symptoms persist, in this case, sweat glands are removed in the underarm. The nerves responsible for the symptoms are carefully disconnected.

However, if hyperhidrosis, is a secondary one, then the underlying condition would have to get treated.

When to see a doctor.

You should see a doctor when you begin to notice these symptoms;

Sudden changes: When sweating immediately gets worse suddenly.
Night sweat: When you wake up in a cold sweat, or you find your pillow case and bedsheets damped in sweat after you wake up at the early hours of the morning.
Generalized sweating: Sweating all over the body, and not just the face, head, underarm, groins, hands or feet.
Asymmetrical sweating: If you are only sweating from one side of the body, for instance, one side of the armpit.
Late onset: When excessive sweating becomes developed at a middle age or an older age. Primary hyperhidrosis is often noticed in teenagers and young adults.
Medication: If there is an unusual outbreak of excessive sweat after the intake of new drugs.

If sweating is accompanied by insomnia, cough, increased thirst, fatigue and increased urination. 2

Conclusion.

I really feel my friend's case is primary hyperhidrosis, but I may be wrong since only an accurate test can prove my predictions right or wrong, the good thing is that, if it is primary, we may not have to bother about it being a life-threatening condition. However, I will still ask him to visit the hospital as soon as possible.