Talk:Hyperhidrosis

Suggested sources
The following medical textbooks seem to be good sources for some parts of this article:



At least one relevant page is visible at books.google.com for each possible source. The major advantage of using a modern textbook is that you can be sure that whatever is written not just the perspective of a single author; they represent the general opinion of mainstream medical experts. WhatamIdoing (talk) 18:53, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Can someone review the changes (deleted links and references) by WhatamIdoing?? She/He constantly removes anything I add that would undermine the delirious optimism that surrounds sympathectomy and would warn the prospective patients that there is not evidence regarding safety and efficiency, but there is lot of study regarding adverse effects, which can be devastating and disabling. The removed studies were absolutely valid studies and reviews of the literature published in peer-reviewed journals. The propagation of this procedure that is not fully understood poses a danger to public health and safety and warnings and the controversies surrounding the procedure should be represented on wiki, if one is to have comprehensive picture on the procedure and it's effects. To say cheesy statements how much patients must suffer due to HH and how they are in danger of dehydration is really not necessary, considering that the only study done into post-sympathectomy sweating shows that patients will sweat 43% more! I strongly believe that the edits are to provide a biased and positive picture of the surgery and to encourage people to undergo the procedure. It is highly unethical and I ask that her/his last edits be reviewed and the quality of the deleted references considered. Porcelina81 (talk) 00:47, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Picture captions
The captions for these pictures are in Spanish. Can someone edit them and upload English versions to Wikimedia Commons? Axl ¤  [Talk]  11:09, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Is not Spanish. Probably portuguese.--Garrondo (talk) 11:44, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Diagnosis
The article doesn't really explain how the condition is diagnosed. Unlike say, Polyuria or high blood cholesterol or whatever it seems to me you can't easily set a limit of what is normal, or measure an abnormal level so I'm wondering how it's done. Nil Einne (talk) 17:36, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Exercise etc
One thing that's somewhat unclear to me from the article, does primary hyperhidrosis only refer to patients who sweat excessively all the time? Or does it include patients who sweat excessively e.g. when they exercise, in hot weather (i.e. to a level that is unlikely to be necessary to cool the body or that is unlikely to cool the body much faster then a significantly lower level)? One or two references suggested the former (patients who sweat excessively all the time) but the few others I read were unclear. Nil Einne (talk) 17:46, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Ooops I just read this Generalized hyperhidrosis. However it's not clear if this can be a form of primary hyperhidrosis. My guess is yes but the article doesn't say. Nil Einne (talk) 17:48, 3 February 2009 (UTC)


 * As I understand it, "primary hyperhidrosis" means "I've been sweating my whole life", and "secondary hyperhidrosis" means "this started when I was an adult and is due to some other disease" (like menopause or cancer). Which parts of the body/how much sweat is produced isn't relevant to the distinction between primary and secondary.  WhatamIdoing (talk) 02:49, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

Verbatim; and very far from plain language
T(2)-T(3) ganglionectomy significantly decreases pulse rate and systolic blood pressure, reduces myocardial oxygen demand, increases left ventricular ejection fraction and prolongs Q-T interval.

This sentence has been copied absolutely verbatim from its reference. Even if it is a short sentence; and also referenced; this might be considered a copyright vio. Additionally I do not understand a single word... It is very very far from plain language (Non-explained abreviations, no internal links, no explanation on whats the importance of this finding...)

Best regards.--Garrondo (talk) 08:54, 25 February 2009 (UTC)


 * In translation, it says something like, "Cutting this nerve lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, reduces the heart's interest in oxygen, increases the amount of blood pumped out, and changes the squiggles on the EKG."
 * I agree that it's a possible copyvio problem, and it simply doesn't belong in this article. It's about a surgery, not about excessive sweating.  Please feel free to remove it.  WhatamIdoing (talk) 19:07, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

(Very) low quality refs for a (very) strong statement
The following statement "For these reasons the surgery should not be recommended" is from my point of view very very strong: it is not saying that there may be some controversy, however big or small it truly is, on the use of surgery; but that it should NEVER be recommended. Such an statament first of all is to close to a "how to guide" (Wikipedia does not make recommendations, not for patients, not for physicians). Secondly non of the 3 refs provided explicitily say such a thing. Finally (but most important) the 3 refs are of VERY low quality: Ref1 is an article in french published in 1966. The second one was written in 1980 (also quite old; this would be reason enough to not consider it a reliable source); but nevertheless the conclussion (at least in the abstract) is quite different: Serious sexual complications caused by lumbar sympathectomy alone seem relatively rare and should only preclude its use in young men wishing to reproduce. Finally the last ref is from a non peer-reviewed internet journal studing sympathectomy for a different disease and nevertheless it never says that it should not be recommended.

I am going to eliminate the sentence with its references.--Garrondo (talk) 14:49, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Orphaned ref
I move here the only ref that was not inline so it may be reintegrated:
 * Abraham P, Berthelot J, Victor J, Saumet JL, Picquet J, Enon B (December 2002). "Holter changes resulting from right-sided and bilateral infrastellate upper thoracic sympathectomy". Ann. Thorac. Surg. 74 (6): 2076–81..

--Garrondo (talk) 08:43, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Sweating Excessively
Addition by Darlene M. Simonds has been eliminated since it was not related to improving the article.--Garrondo (talk) 14:50, 13 April 2010 (UTC)


 * I am really sorry for your complicated history, and wish you best luck. Nevertheless talk pages are aimed to improve wikipedia articles and make them more encyclopedic, accurate and complete. Since what you have written is a personal story, with no relationship to the encyclopedia, and which in addition gives names of living professionals I have to eliminate it. You will be most welcome to cooperate in improving this article using reliable sources. Would you have any questions you can ask them here or at my talk page. Bests regards.--Garrondo (talk) 14:50, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Last additions on surgical procedures
In the following edition a lot of dubious content was added by a non registered user. It sounds much like advertising (giving names of specific doctors and clinics where the procedure is done, giving info on how revolutionary it is...), but it may have some truth in it... However no references were provided and since it is about a surgical procedure such claims can not be held without high quality sources supporting them. I have eliminated some info which sounded like a how to guide, and tagged for refs all the other. If no references are provided I will eliminate all content in a few days. Bests. --Garrondo (talk) 19:08, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

Prognosis?
The prognosis section doesn't actually seem to include anything about prognoses regarding patients with the condition, but just social/emotional affects of the disorder (the effects of the disorder [more symptamatic] as opposed to the possible outcomes/likelihood of resolution after treatments or lack thereof [what would be a prognosis]). I have removed that heading from that section. Can someone provide sourced prognosis information so we can re-add that heading? BcNARApix (talk) 16:00, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

Orphaned article (another one) but may be this time it is an erroneous page that needs to be deleted
I have just inserted a "See also" section, in this Hyperhidrosis article, and put in a reference to Ionotophoresis. Then, I noticed that the main body of the article (Treatments, other) already has a reference to Iontophoresis. The former page is a stub (in its most extreme form), and an orphan; the latter is a substantial article that seems (to me) to cover the former's material completely. I assume, therefore, that the former is a miss-spelt version of the latter, and can be proposed for deletion. However, I am no expert on this, so I had better leave it to someone who is, to perform the Prod operation. TheAMmollusc (talk) 12:05, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Poor focus on topic; cleanup or cleanup-rewrite?
Reading over this article, it seems to be poorly focused on the condition and more centred around treatments. I feel that it would be better written starting with a summary of the condition before describing the function and action of sweat glands, followed by their activation by the sympathetic nervous system under normal, non-pathological conditions, before describing the changes observed in hyperhidrosis (e.g. profuse sweating, perhaps sympathetic hyperactivity?) and finally discussing treatment options. This reads more like a patient information leaflet than an encyclopaedic article, and while not wising to criticise accessible information for those who suffer diseases, that's not really what wikipedia's for. 192.76.7.211 (talk) 15:36, 6 June 2012 (UTC)


 * That's a reasonable suggestion. However, it isn't really possible to follow your suggestion at the moment because it seems much more is known about treatment options for hyperhidrosis rather than the condition itself. Un1234l 10:11, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

Moved advertising-like content
I move here the content on miradry: it sounds a lot as propaganda, and I could not find any articles in pubmed for efficacy or use, and very few in google. I move it here since maybe someone more knowleadgeable of the issue might find it useful to re-include it in the future after improving it, mainly with better sourcing.--Garrondo (talk) 21:05, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

''MiraDry utilises a controlled application of microwave energy through a hand-held unit to heat sweat glands and destroy them through thermolysis. This technique is implicitly non-invasive. Damage to the superficial dermis is prevented through cooling of the external surface of the miraDry unit, localising the heating and cell destruction to the lower, gland-containing strata. Because sweat glands do not regenerate after treatment, the results are lasting.''

Some info on miraDry:
The miraDry System is a non-invasive device indicated by the FDA to treat primary axillary hyperhidrosis. The miraDry System uses a controlled application of microwave energy through a hand-held unit to heat sweat glands and destroy them through a process called thermolysis. (Johnson JE, et al. Lasers Surg Med 2012; 44: 20-25) Sweat glands do not grow back. Multiple clinical studies have been published to date. One study published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery demonstrated over 90 percent efficacy and 90 percent patient satisfaction with an average 82 percent sweat reduction when followed for one year after receiving the procedure. (Hong C-H, et al. Dermatol Surg 2012; 38: 728-735)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lsm.21142/abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22452511

Mghurston (talk) 02:51, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Additional Sources for miraDry treatment
Sweat Help We Love Skin Real Self Q&A 2601:9:2B80:3B8:ACD9:41CF:7B30:30FF (talk) 02:31, 27 May 2014 (UTC)