Hyperhidrosis - Cause

Cause

The cause of primary Hyperhidrosis is unknown, although some surgeons claim it is caused by sympathetic over-activity. Nervousness or excitement can exacerbate the situation for many sufferers. Other factors can play a role; certain foods and drinks, nicotine, caffeine, and smells can trigger a response.

A common complaint of patients is they get nervous because they sweat, then sweat more because they are nervous.

Hyperhidrosis of a relatively large area (>100 square cm or generalized)

• In people with a past history of spinal cord injuries
  • Autonomic dysreflexia
  • Orthostatic hypo-tension
  • Posttraumatic syringomyelia
• Associated with peripheral neuropathies
  • Familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome)
  • Congenital autonomic dysfunction with universal pain loss
  • Exposure to cold, notably associated with cold-induced sweating syndrome
• Associated with probable brain lesions
  • Episodic with hypothermia (Hines and Bannick syndrome)
  • Episodic without hypothermia
  • Olfactory
• Associated with intrathoracic neoplasms or lesions
• Associated with systemic medical problems
  • Pheochromocytoma
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Thyrotoxicosis
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Anxiety
  • Menopausal state
  • Due to drugs or poisoning
  • Night sweats
  • Compensatory
• Associated with toxins
  • Infantile acrodynia induced by chronic low-dose mercury exposure, leading to elevated catecholamine accumulation and resulting in a clinical picture resembling pheochromocytoma.

Hyperhidrosis of relatively small area (<100 square cm)

• Idiopathic unilateral circumscribed hyperhydrosis
• Reported association with:
  • Blue rubber bleb nevus
  • Glomus tumor
  • POEMS syndrome
  • Burning feet syndrome (Goplan's)
  • Trench foot
  • Causalgia
  • Pachydermoperiostosis
  • Pretibial myxedema
• Gustatory sweating associated with:
  • Encephalitis
  • Syringomyelia
  • Diabetic neuropathies
  • Herpes zoster (shingles)
  • Parotitis
  • Parotid abscesses
  • Thoracic sympathectomy
  • Auriculotemporal or Frey's syndrome
• Miscellaneous
  • Lacrimal sweating (due to postganglionic sympathetic deficit, often seen in Raeder's syndrome)
  • Harlequin syndrome
  • Emotional hyperhydrosis