Sweating is the natural mechanism for which your body cools itself. Sweat is a salty liquid produced by glands in your skin. It is perfectly normal to sweat a lot when it’s hot, during exercise, if you’re anxious or experiencing a fever.
However, sweating can be a symptom of a health problem should you sweat too much or not at all contrary to what your situation would ordinarily dictate. Hyperhidrosis is the term used to describe excessive sweating. And anhidrosis means little or no sweat.
You can have hyperhidrosis for which profuse sweating occurs without a cause, known as primary hyperhidrosis. Yet, excessive sweating can also be caused by various health conditions, like:
- stroke
- pregnancy
- alcoholism
- menopause
- acromegaly
- tuberculosis
- lung disease
- heart disease
- osteomyelitis
- allergic reaction
- hyperthyroidism
- spinal cord injury
- temporal arteritis
- pulmonary edema
- anxiety conditions
- viral gastroenteritis
- metabolic disorders
- diabetic neuropathy
- carcinoid syndrome
- pheochromocytoma
- Parkinson’s disease
- infective endocarditis
- aspiration pneumonia
- epidermolysis bullosa
- low blood sugar levels
- pituitary gland disorder
- cancer caused nerve damage
- severe bacterial, fungal infections
- blood cancers ~ lymphoma, leukemia
- autonomic nervous system dysfunction
- hormonal issues ~ excessive serotonin, dopamine
A drug side effect could be your cause for profusely sweating, including:
- aspirin
- NSAIDs
- antidepressants
- some diabetic drugs ~ insulin
- theophylline ~ treats wheezing, dyspnea, breathing difficulty caused by asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, emphysema
Caffeine and withdrawals from alcohol or opioids can cause sweating excess as well.
When sweating is caused by another health condition, it is called secondary hyperhidrosis. And profuse sweating can also cause exacerbation of a pre-existing skin problem, i.e.athlete’s foot fungal skin infection and contact dermatitis.
Anhidrosis no sweat or sweating too little can cause your body to overheat, which can be an extremely perilous health situation. But if your lack of sweating only occurs in a small area, then it’s not as dangerous.
Some of the causes for no sweat anhidrosis are:
- burns
- leprosy
- dehydration
- inflammation
- sever heatstroke
- radiation therapy
- certain neuropathies
- skin diseases blocking sweat glands
- congenital disorders ~ ectodermal dysplasia
- neurologic disorders ~ Guillain-Barre syndrome
- connective tissue disease ~ scleroderma, lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome
And whenever you sweat to excess be sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid the no sweat condition of dehydration.
