Welcome to your Sweating Sickness Guide

The term 'sweating sickness' was first termed in England and later, in Europe, in the mid 1400s. It was an extremely dangerous flu like virus that usually resulted in death within hours.

These days however, sweating sickness is a term more often used by indicate excessive perspiration problems. Whilst heavy perspiration may be a humerous subject for comics, it certainly isn't for those of use who sweat excessively.

There is little doubt that any form of sweating sickness will not only affect the sufferer visibly but is likely also to lead to a lack of confidence and therefore, whilst it may have its funny side for comedians, it is likely to have a devastating effect on a person's life.

Of course,inevitably we all sweat, and if we didn't we would be in big trouble as sweating keeps the temperature of the body down when it is needed, such as in hot weather or perhaps during vigourous excercise. However, for some people, this perspiration is excessive and embarrassing and can occur in a number of parts of the body.

Primary hyperhidrosis is excessive perspiration which occurs usually in the common places where we all sweat, such as the face, armpits, feet and hands. This form of excessive sweating is usually caused by overactive glands in that particular part of the body. This is often hereditary and occurs in around 5% of the population.

The initial treatment for this form of heavy perspiration is usually to use an antiperspirant, but if this fails, your doctor may recommend an alternative treatment which will be discussed elsewhere.

Medical Diagnosis for Sweating Sickness

Secondary hyperhidrosis is more unusual. Unlike primary hyperhidrosis which tends to happen for example in both feet, secondary hyperhidrosis tends to occur in one particular place such as the calf of the left leg. If this occurs, your doctor is lkely to suggest tests to discover what may be causing it. This is not as common as primary hyperhidrosis however and is less understood.

Generalised hyperhidrosis occurs when a person sweats all over and this is likely to be caused, perhaps by anxiety or possibly a side effect of certain medications.

We hope that you enjoy looking through our sweating sickness site and find what you are looking for. Please remember though, that all information here is for general use only and if you are suffering from any form of sweating sickness, it is important that you visit your doctor for a diagnosis.