Stop The Sweat

Hyperhidrosis is seen widely in the community and most doctors will see several cases each year. But just how prevalent is it? I’ve scoured some databases for epidemiologic data to find out the extent of the problem.

This study sampled 150,000 households in the US and projected that 2.8% of the population are affected by this condition. Of these, 50.8% have axillary hyperhidrosis.

In terms of genetics, this study undertook genetic analysis of palmar hyperhidrosis and conclude that there is stong evidence for vertical transmission of this condition and that the allele for hyperhidrosis is present in 5% of the population. Agreeing with a similar study below, the authors conclude that there is “variable penetrance” of this condition.

This study confirms the findings of the earlier study. The investigation of family history of this condition indicates that hyperhidrosis is an inheritable condition and transmission is autosomal dominant – this means that only one parent need have the allele to pass this condition to you.

This study conducted in China also looked into the epidemiological characteristics of palmar hyperhidrosis with a sample size of 13,000. It was determined that this type of hyperhidrosis alone was found in 4.59% of the sample.

This study looked into patients already referred for treatment. As expected, the majority (73%) referred had symptoms of axillary hyperhidrosis. Interestingly, trends of cranio-facial hyperhidrosis were found to be more common in men than women.

As you can see, results of epidemiologic studies for hyperhidrosis vary widely. It is very difficult to isolate the exact number of people who suffer from the many forms of this condition. However, we can conclude that the number is significant and worthy of attention by national health services, the world over.