Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition in which a person exhibits excessive sweating,[1][2] more than is required for the regulation of body temperature.[3] Although it is primarily a physical burden, hyperhidrosis can deteriorate the quality of life of the people who are affected,[4] frequently leading to psychological, physical, and social consequences.[5] Hyperhidrosis can lead to difficulties in professional fields, with more than 80% of patients experiencing moderate to severe emotional effects from the disease.[6]
This excess of sweat happens even if the person is not engaging in tasks that require muscular effort, and it does not depend on the exposure to heat.[7] Common places to sweat can include underarms, face, neck, back, groin, feet, and hands. It has been called by some researchers 'the silent handicap'.[8]
Both diaphoresis and hidrosis can mean either perspiration (in which sense they are synonymous with sweating[9][10]) or excessive perspiration, in which case they refer to a specific, narrowly defined, clinical disorder.
^Vary, Jay C. (November 2015). "Selected Disorders of Skin Appendages—Acne, Alopecia, Hyperhidrosis". Medical Clinics of North America. 99 (6): 1195–1211. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2015.07.003. PMID26476248.