Hereditary Hyperhidrosis: Types and Treatment

Hereditary hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating, which is transmitted from parents to children or from grandparents to grandchildren. People with excessive sweating are forced to sweat not only in the heat but also in the rain and snow. According to the available statistics, in 50% of cases, a person suffering from excessive sweating not associated with any chronic disease has one of the parents who also suffered from hyperhidrosis.

There is normal sweating within the natural range. This is a healthy reaction of the body to external factors – changes in air temperature (in summer or when traveling to hot countries), intense physical activity, etc. Sweating increases with emotional experiences, which is also normal. But very often, hyperhidrosis occurs in the form of a disease that must be treated. Moreover, there are a lot of treatment methods, as well as varieties of excessive sweating. For example, severe sweating caused by an infection (viral diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis) is treated with antibiotics or other drugs designed to combat pathogens. Excessive sweat production is secondary in this case. The disease is primary when excessive sweating has no connection with any other disease. There are also special treatment methods for primary sweating – medical aluminum chloride antiperspirants, drugs for excessive sweating, liposuction in the armpit, surgical manipulations with sympathetic nerve nodes, etc.

When is heavy sweating inherited?

There is both a generalized (sweating all over the body) form of the disease and its local varieties – axillary, palmar, plantar, inguinal, perineal, craniofacial (sweating of the head and face), sweating of the back, chest, abdomen, anus. Both generalized and local types of sweating can be inherited.

General hyperhidrosis in hereditary diseases

Riley-Day syndrome. Riley-Day syndrome tops the list of hereditary diseases accompanied by excess sweat production. In another way, it is called family dysautonomia. The main symptom is the lesion of the peripheral nervous system. The symptoms are so varied that sometimes it is difficult to make a diagnosis – the patient has no tears or their number is sharply reduced. With this syndrome, sweating is very severe, which becomes even more intense with emotional experiences. Emotional instability occurs and the sensitivity to pain decreases. There are cases when blood pressure rises, there are bouts of vomiting, convulsions, ulcers on the cornea of the eyes, pathologies of skeletal development (orthopedic), short stature. No changes in intelligence are observed;
Beech’s syndrome. This is a hereditary disease well known to geneticists. Congenital changes are early gray hair, thickening of the skin on the palms and feet, small teeth, underdevelopment of small molars, general sweating;
Gamstorp-Wolfarth syndrome. This is a hereditary disorder in which muscle spasms (myotonia) and muscle weakness (atrophy) occur. It is accompanied by an increase in sweat secretion.

Hereditary local hyperhidrosis

Facial hyperhidrosis

Lucy Frey syndrome. This is a rare hereditary disease, in which local sweating suddenly appears in the temporo-parotid region. It is interesting to note that the area begins to sweat only when solid food (sour, spicy) is actually taken. If chewing is imitated, then no sweat is released. Lucy Frey’s disease occurs most often after a facial injury or mumps infection;
Drum string syndrome. With this hereditary pathology, in response to a gustatory stimulus, there is an increased secretion of sweat in the chin area. This disorder occurs after a surgical injury. This is due to the fact that the sympathetic fibers responsible for sweating intersect with the parasympathetic fibers that go to the salivary glands;
Syringomyelia. It is characterized by the formation of cavities in the spinal cord. Symptoms such as weight loss appear, weakness in the hands develops (due to damage to the small muscles of the hands) and sensitivity is lost. As the disease progresses, sensitivity in other parts of the body also decreases. Increased sweating can occur spontaneously, with hot or spicy food. The structure of the bones changes, the bone tissue is thinned (osteoporosis), fractures are frequent and painless, which is especially dangerous because the patient may not notice them;
Red granulosis of the nose. It is manifested by sweating of the nose and the area of the face surrounding it. In addition, red bubbles appear on the indicated zones, which gave the name of the disease;
Blue spongy nevus. The disease is infrequent, patients complain of pain in the arms and trunk, worse at night. An increase in sweat secretion is also observed in these regions.

Palmar and foot hyperhidrosis

Brunauer’s syndrome. This is a hereditary disease in which the skin on the soles and palms becomes thick and hard (keratosis), a palmar-plantar form of hyper-sweating develops. There is another symptom of the disease – the “Gothic” palate when it takes on a high and sharp form;
Congenital pachyonychia. With this hereditary pathology, the shape of the nails changes; the palms and soles, elbows and knees become coarse (hyperkeratosis). Sweat often appears on the palms and soles;
Weir-Mitchell erythromelalgia. This disease is characterized by increased sweating on the feet and soles.

Axillary hereditary hyperhidrosis

Underarm sweating is also hereditary. This type of sweating is especially difficult for patients. The disease occurs in both men and women, but in most cases in men. Young people suffer most and more often, older people have weaker manifestations, children have no symptoms. For some unknown reason, the armpit on the right sweats more.

Other hereditary diseases

There are still some diseases that are not considered purely hereditary from the point of view of genetics, but it has been noticed that several people often get sick in a family. An example is diabetes mellitus, in which increased sweat production spreads to the upper half of the body. Increased blood sugar is not inherited by itself, but there is a stress theory for the occurrence of this ailment. That is, members of the same family react in the same way to stress, so they develop similar diseases.

Treatment of hereditary hypertension

If the doctor has diagnosed a hereditary disease, then the treatment is symptomatic since the doctors have not yet learned how to change the genetic code. With diabetes, not only excessive sweating symptoms must be eliminated – the main cause of the disease – a lack of insulin in the blood – must be treated too. It is replenished with pills or injections of insulin preparations. Antiperspirants and deodorants can also be used (taking into account the individual tolerance of the constituent parts). Botox injections are made with caution (only after reading all the contraindications). That is, each case is individual and you should always contact medical professionals. The main principle of treating hereditary excessive sweating is not to harm.

Category: General Info

Tags: excessive sweating, heredity, palmar hyperhidrosis, sweating, sweaty plams