Hyperhidrosis can be caused by physical, mental, and psychological conditions, including cancer and heart disease. Anxiety disorders, menopause, and Parkinson’s disease are also common causes. Excessive sweating can be a sign of breast or prostate cancer, but it is rare.
Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is caused by a variety of physical, mental and psychological conditions. More serious causes of hyperhidrosis include cancer and heart disease, two life-threatening conditions that can lead to death. There are also a number of nervous system and hormonal conditions that can make a person sweat uncontrollably, such as Parkinson’s disease, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and menopause.
Cancers that affect major hormonal regions of the body — the breasts for women and the prostate glands for men — can make a person sweat uncontrollably. People with breast or prostate cancer are more likely to sweat, even if they live in cool conditions. It is important to note that although excessive sweating can be a sign that a person has breast or prostate cancer, it is very rare for people who have hyperhidrosis to actually have cancer. The most common causes of hyperhidrosis usually include less serious psychological and nervous system conditions.
For example, anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or other phobias that make a person extremely fearful, can cause them to sweat out of fear. When a person is exposed to a situation that makes them feel very uncomfortable, it can trigger a response that puts their nervous system into overdrive, improving their response time, increasing their heart rate, and making them more alert. This is called a fight or flight response.
Unfortunately, the increased heart rate can cause a person to sweat uncontrollably, which can lead to hyperhidrosis. People with untreated anxiety disorders can experience this response in many situations, sometimes multiple times a day. While their bodies may be perfectly cool, their heartbeats may be constantly in overdrive, which raises their body temperature and causes them to sweat excessively.
Other common causes of hyperhidrosis include menopause and Parkinson’s disease: the former is a hormonal reaction and the latter is a central nervous system problem. Menopause, or the physical and hormonal changes a woman experiences after her periods stop, can trigger hot flashes, which can make her sweat. People with Parkinson’s disease have a harder time controlling sweat and saliva and are more likely to sweat profusely.
Other causes of hyperhidrosis include heart disease, which can increase the heart rate and make a person sweat more. People with heart disease may start to feel tired, weak, and hot all the time, even if they haven’t participated in any activities or been exposed to heat that could be causing these reactions. Sometimes, people can even feel their hearts leap as they sweat.
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