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Anhidrosis

DEFINITION

Anhidrosis is the medical condition of not being able to sweat properly. Sweating is part of the body’s natural function to cool itself down, so not being able to sweat can be quite serious. In anhidrosis, sweat glands stop working for a variety of reasons including damage to the skin (as with scarring from burns), damage to the nerves (from illnesses like diabetes, alcohol use, or a variety of other conditions), medications (like some of those for blood pressure, urinary incontinence, and nausea), dehydration (because your body will work harder to preserve fluid by not sweating), and inherited genetic diseases which cause malfunctioning sweat glands or too few sweat glands (like hypohidrotic ectodermal dyplasia). Risk factors for anhidrosis include older age, medical conditions that affect the nerves (like diabetes or alcohol abuse), inflammatory skin conditions (like psoriasis and very dry skin), and genetic abnormalities. Not having the ability to sweat to lower the body temperature puts a person at risk for overheating. Possible complications include painful muscle spasms called heat cramps, a condition called heat exhaustion which consists of weakness and nausea with a rapid heartbeat brought on with exercise in the heat, and a life-threatening condition called heatstroke when the body temperature reaches 104° F which can cause hallucinations and coma before leading to death. People with anhidrosis need to be especially careful when going out in the heat to make sure that their bodies do not overheat.

SYMPTOMS
Lack of perspiration or little perspiration over the whole body or in specific areas, muscle cramping, feeling hot, weakness, lightheadedness

DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis of anhidrosis always begins with your doctor taking a history from you as well as doing a physical exam. Your doctor may do a variety of tests in order to determine the cause of your decreased sweating. The first of these tests is called the quantitative sudomotor reflex test which involves stimulating the nerves that control the sweat glands with a small electric current then measuring the amount of sweat produced. Another test called the silastic sweat imprint involves making an imprint of the sweat your produce to check different areas against one another. The thermoregulatory sweat test involves coating the body with a powder that becomes another color when in contact with sweat then going into a heated room to induce sweating. It is important to know that the cause of anhidrosis is often not found.

TREATMENT
Treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms. Sometimes, no treatment is needed especially if it only affects a small area of your skin. If your anhidrois affects larger areas of your skin, you are in danger of overheating. If you have symptoms of overheating, it is important to seek emergency help to prevent further problems. If you have heat cramps, you need to stop activity and move to a cooler area or drink cool fluids. If you have symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as becoming dizzy, nauseated, or having a fast heartbeat, you need to get to a cool area quickly with the help of someone else. You should loosen your clothing, drink cool beverages and may try being sprayed with cool water. If you notice someone having heatstroke, you need to call emergency services immediately. In the meantime, you need to move that person to a cooler, shaded area then spray the person with water or wrap him or her in wet towels as well as beginning fanning the individual to help their body release heat. If you or someone else has a serious reaction to heat as above, you should make sure to get emergency treatment to prevent serious or permanent complications.

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