Does your body sweat normally? If not, it must be considered as a clinical concern. Some people lack appropriate sweating production due to abnormal functioning of the sweat glands. Inability to sweat normally is medically termed as hypohidrosis or anhidrosis. It can affect your entire body or is localized in certain parts of your body.
Sweating is the natural mechanism of cooling the body by allowing heat to release out of your body. If you’re unable to sweat normally, then it may cause overheating and leads to heat stroke, which is a life-threatening condition.
The improper functioning of your sweat glands may cause hypohidrosis which might be due to certain underlying diseases or congenital conditions. The hypohidrosis causes include:
People aged above 60 years, infants, and children are at increased risk of developing hypohidrosis. Mutations in certain genes that affect your sweat glands may also cause hypohidrosis.
In hypohidrosis, inability to sweat is itself the symptom. But, it can be accompanied by other signs and symptoms that include:
Sometimes, you may not notice mild hypohidrosis unless you perform strenuous exercise and may feel overheated because you’re unable to sweat normally.
If hypohidrosis is left untreated, it may lead to following complications:
Your doctor confirms the diagnosis based on the symptoms, medical history, physical examination, and certain tests. The tests include the following.
There is no specific hypohydrosis treatment option because if it affects only small parts of your body, then you may not require any treatment. But, hypohidrosis over large areas may require treatment. If hypohidrosis is due to an underlying medical condition, then your doctor treats that condition.