Overcoming and treating summer sweaty hands and feet

1. What disease is excessive sweating of hands and feet?

Excessive sweating of the hands and feet, regardless of the weather, is a hallmark sign of autonomic hyperhidrosis.

In the normal body, the autonomic nervous system plays the role of directing the sweat glands to steady secretion according to the body’s needs. However, in people with sweaty hands and feet, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system increases abnormally (due to the hypersympathetic state), causing the sweat glands to be stimulated continuously, leading to sweating of the hands. uncontrolled foot.

In rare cases, sweaty hands and feet can be a symptom of another disease such as infection, hyperthyroidism, toxicity… and often accompanied by excessive sweating throughout the body.

Sweaty hands and feet can be a symptom of many diseases

2. Manifestations of sweaty hands and feet disease

Excessive sweating of hands and feet due to autonomic disorders manifests as:

The patient’s hands and feet are always wet and cold, the skin of the hands and feet is peeling, pale, there is a bad smell, especially in the foot area when wearing closed shoes. In severe cases, sweat can drip into the hands and feet.

The disease most often begins in childhood or adolescence and lasts a lifetime. During puberty, sweaty hands and feet tend to be heavier. Sweat in many other places such as limbs, armpits, head, face, etc.

– The disease has a genetic nature, in the family where one parent has a lot of sweat, the child has a high chance of having it.

The disease can appear both in winter or when the weather is cool in autumn.

– Sweaty hands and feet disease will be worse when the patient feels stress, anxiety, fear, anger…

3. Causes of sweaty hands and feet

Some causes of sweaty hands and feet include:

– Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body

-Hyperthyroidism: Patients with increased sweating of hands and feet due to hyperthyroidism often have accompanying symptoms such as shaking hands, weight loss, or nervousness, palpitations, bulging eyes, …

-Due to low temperature, thyroid tumor, frostbite, aplastic anemia, pulmonary tuberculosis,…

-Due to poisoning: the patient’s body is poisoned when in direct contact with toxic chemicals from water, air, polluted environment… the body will then react by excreting a lot of sweat. to remove toxins from the body.

4. Is sweaty hands and feet disease dangerous?

Although it does not affect health, it causes great impacts on life such as:

– Causing difficulties in work: when holding, writing or walking…

– Make the patient afraid to contact others, always worry, stress, lose confidence.

– There is a risk of fungal skin infections, itching, blisters, peeling skin and unpleasant odors.

Sweaty hands and feet disease cannot be cured completely because it is related to nervous dysfunction, however, if treated well, it can reduce sweating to help patients confidently communicate and live normally. often.

Increased sweating of hands and feet can also be a symptom of a number of diseases such as: toxicity, hyperthyroidism, anemia, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, pituitary tumor,… If not detected and treated early These diseases can have a negative impact on the patient’s health.

In addition, many studies show that people with sweaty hands and feet in the cold season can also be an early sign of blood cancer. This is a type of malignant leukemia that disrupts activities in the body, including the excretory system, causing increased sweating of the hands and feet.

5. How to treat sweaty hands and feet disease

Depends on the cause. It is necessary to definitively treat acquired diseases, especially for sweating due to autonomic disorders, it will be treated with sympathetic ganglion burning. Depending on the specific case, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment method

-Use of drugs: topical drugs to temporarily reduce sweating and oral anticholinergic drugs, antidepressants …

– Ion electrophoresis: Low intensity current will inhibit sweat glands in limbs.

– Botox injection: Botulinum toxin is injected under the skin of the palms and feet to prevent sweat glands from secreting. The effect lasts 6 months.

– Sympathectomy: Only applied to the treatment of sweaty hands. This method also has many risks such as sympathomimetic pain, Horner’s syndrome causing drooping eyelids, compensatory sweating …

6. Doctor’s advice

Eat more fruits and vegetables to prevent disease

With this particular disease, daily living and eating habits also greatly affect the treatment process. Therefore, the patient should:

Increase eating green vegetables, fruits, foods rich in B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and drink lots of water

– Apply some folk tips: soak hands and feet in water with guise leaves, green tea leaves, salt, wormwood… to increase the effectiveness of the treatment.

– Limit hot, greasy, spicy foods and beer, wine…

– Do not use body cream that can cause skin congestion and clogged pores.

– Wash hands and feet with antibacterial soap, exfoliate and trim nails regularly

Choose breathable shoes and socks, change socks often to avoid odors.