RESEARCH ARTICLE
Hyperhidrosis: A Review of a Medical Condition
Shavitri Mahendiran1, Craig N. Burkhart2, Craig G. Burkhart*, 1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2009Volume: 3
First Page: 195
Last Page: 197
Publisher ID: TODJ-3-195
DOI: 10.2174/1874372200903010195
Article History:
Received Date: 12/08/2009Revision Received Date: 15/10/2009
Acceptance Date: 27/10/2009
Electronic publication date: 9/12/2009
Collection year: 2009
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Sweating is a normal and important mechanism of thermoregulation which is essential for survival. When sweating becomes excessive, the resulting condition is called hyperhidrosis. While hyperhidrosis is not a fatal condition, it can greatly affect one’s quality of life due to its psychological and social impact. To understand this condition, it is necessary to explore the biology of sweat glands including the eccrine, apocrine, and apoeccrine sweat glands. It is also vital to understand the physiological significance of sweat to maintain the human body temperature in order for it to function properly. Hyperhidrosis can be divided into a primary and secondary condition and it is also associated with a wide variety of other conditions. Many treatments exist to alleviate this disorder including aluminum compounds, aldehydes, anticholinergic agents like glycopyrrolate, benztropine and oxybutynin, botulinum toxin A, antiperspirants, sympathectomy, iontophoresis, and sweat gland suction. Ultimately, knowledge of this disorder and its methods of treatment and management are imperative to optimize treatment for patients suffering from hyperhidrosis.
