Hypohidrosis - Symptoms, Risk factors and Treatment

In hot weather, your body produces sweat, which is its way of cooling down. If it does not produce sweat, your body will become hot, and heat-related complications may arise. Hypohidrosis is a condition in which your body produces less sweat than usual. It is a mild form of a condition called anhidrosis- a condition in which your body does not produce sweat. 

Hypohidrosis can affect your entire body, a single part of it, or some parts. It can occur at any stage of life or can be inherited at the time of birth. Diagnosing hyperhidrosis is a bit of a problematic task as symptoms mostly remain unnoticed. However, if your body overheats, it can lead to heatstroke- a life-threatening condition. 

Symptoms 

Hypohidrosis is a condition in which your body fails to produce enough sweat, which makes it harder for it to cool down. Therefore this condition affects your skin, makes you feel unwell, and makes you intolerant to heat. The signs and symptoms of hyperhidrosis may arise when a person does a physical activity or spends a day in hot sunny weather. It can represent as;

• Sweating so less when others are doing heavily
• A very dry skin
• Skin flushing
• Inability to tolerate heat
• Inability to tolerate physical exertion
• Feeling excessively hot
• Labored breathing
• Lightheadedness
• Muscle cramps or weakness

Mild symptoms of hyperhidrosis go unnoticed until the person does some physical activity. 

Causes

Under normal conditions, when it is hot, your autonomic nervous system activates and stimulates your sweat glands to produce sweat and cool down your body. When it happens, your body temperature remains normal. If your body is unable to produce enough sweat, it means your sweat glands are not working properly as they fail to produce enough sweat. 

Hypohidrosis can occur if any damage to skin or nerve has occurred, or sometimes it can be due to neurological or immunological conditions. Some people have no certain cause for it, termed idiopathic hypohidrosis. 

The causes of hyperhidrosis can be;

Nerve damage 

Any condition that causes nerve damage can cause hypohidrosis. It can occur due to any of the following condition;

• Multiple system atrophy
• Amyloidosis
• Sjögren syndrome
• Small cell lung can
• Ross syndrome
• Diabetes
• Alcoholism
• Parkinson’s disease
• Fabry diseases

Skin injury 

A skin injury can lead to less sweating that most commonly can occur due to burns. It can also occur due to reasons like;

• Radiation
• Trauma
• Infection
• Inflammation

Skin conditions

Along with skin injury, certain skin conditions can make your skin produce less sweat. It can be any of the following conditions.

• Exfoliative dermatitis
• Heat rash
• Scleroderma 
• Psoriasis 
• Ichthyosis 

Medications

Taking certain medications like anticholinergics can let your body produce less sweat. Once you leave, taking the medicine, the condition may resolve. It may be accompanied by a dry and sore throat as it reduces body secretions. 

Inherited condition

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is an inherited condition in which your sweat glands do not produce enough sweat. 

Treatment 

Hypohidrosis if affects a little portion of your body, does not need treatment as it does not cause many problems. But if it occurs due to a certain underlying condition, your healthcare providers will work on treating it. If it occurs due to some medications, your doctors will try to substitute it so that the symptoms of hypohidrosis may resolve. 

Conclusion 

Hypohidoris is a condition in which your body fails to produce enough sweat that can help it cool down. It mostly occurs when damage to your nerve or skin has occurred. Mostly, it does not cause intense symptoms. But if you spend a long time in hot sunny weather, it can lead to heatstroke- a life-threatening condition.