What Your Sweat is Telling You
Sweat Signals
by Vicki Salemi
Perspiration. Emitting moisture. Good old-fashioned sweat. No matter what you call it, your sweat could be trying to warn you about a possible medical condition. Find out what symptoms like excessive sweating or no sweat at all are trying to tell you.
Salty Sweat
If your sweat is particularly salty, a sweat test is typically conducted to determine cystic fibrosis, which is an inherited disorder of the lungs, intestines and sweat glands. "There are no needles involved in the procedure. In the first part of the test a colorless, odorless chemical known to cause sweating is applied to a small area on an arm or leg. An electrode is then attached to the arm or leg, which allows the technician to apply a weak electrical current to the area to stimulate sweating. The second part of the test consists of cleaning the stimulated area and collecting the sweat on a piece of filter paper or gauze or in a plastic coil. The collected sweat is sent to a hospital laboratory 30 minutes later for analysis," explains Doris Day M.D., Director, Day Cosmetic, Laser and Comprehensive Dermatology.
Cold Sweat
"Perspiration is a window to what's going on in the body," according to Boyd Lyles, Jr. M.D., chief medical officer of US Preventive Medicine. If you're experiencing a cold, clammy sweat despite the fact that it's warmer outside, this could signal a variety of causes, whether it's the flu, an infection or mononucleosis.
Night Sweat
Dr. Lyles explains, "Most of the time this is a result of a patient's bedroom that's too warm or has too many comforters." However, a persistent night sweat that literally soaks through the sheets can imply a chronic medical condition. "This can be a chronic infection, lung infection, tuberculosis, thryoidism or cancer like lymphoma." Consult a doctor if you are experiencing consistent, soaking night sweats.
Excessive Sweating
If the drops of sweat keep on comin' even when it's not hot outside, you may have a problem. Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, typically occurs in the hands or soles of the feet, although any part of the body may be affected. Experts say this could demonstrate disorders of the thyroid, tumors, gout, certain drugs or menopause. Dr. Lyles explains, "You can usually trace this to other sources, but it's socially embarrassing and difficult to control." One way is to prescribe a prescription strength antiperspirant to help control sweating under the arms.
Uncontrollable Sweat
Hot flashes, anyone? This may be the first symptom of menopause for women. "Night sweats, or the daytime version (hot flashes), include profuse sweating [followed by] a brief but intense wave of heat, usually in the face and chest," notes Dr. Day. Hot flashes are typically indicative of changes in hormonal levels and may last from two to 30 minutes.
Lack of Sweating
"This occurs when your body doesn't have enough fluids to carry out its normal functions," says Dr. Day. "Dehydration is common when you have an intense bout of diarrhea and vomiting, when you have a very high fever or when you sweat excessively and don't replace lost fluids. Dehydration can also occur when you have increased urination - often as a result of undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus." She adds that alcohol and certain medications (i.e., diuretics, antihistamines, blood pressure medications and some psychiatric drugs) can cause dehydration as well.
Odors
Not the most appealing of topics, but let's face it: without proper deodorant excessive sweat on a regular basis would be rather unappealing. "Certain people never sweat and never smell," says Dr. Daryl Jonas of internal medicine. "However, people who have illnesses will have a classic kind of odor." He notices it's a typical sweat odor and other sweat indicators, such as sweating as a result of infections, or in conjunction with a fever and the chills, that are more compelling indicators of medical conditions, such as malaria and tuberculosis.
Sweat Rash
When trapped sweat leads to irritation or prickling and itching, a rash of small blisters usually results. It usually occurs when sweat is trapped between two layers of clothes or between skin and clothes. But, it can also be a symptom of more serious conditions like malaria, a common ailment in hot and humid conditions. Sweat rashes occur when the sweat gland ducts get blocked due to dead skin cells or bacteria.
Morning Sweat
If you're sweating excessively in the wee hours of the morning, consider this an altered version of night sweat that just occurs a little later on. Night sweats are not simply sweating a lot at night, but rather any time one literally drenches the bed. "This can imply a chronic medical condition, infection, cancer, and unusual amounts of stress like divorce," notes Dr. Lyles.
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Princess55447 06:01:58 PM Aug 24 2008
Ok, to those who have the snotty comments to make about the article...grow-up!!! I agree they could have provided the material a little better, but it still was informative and helpful. For the record, my cousin has CF and yes her sweat IS saltier than a normal persons sweat. So before you go and made comments about something just to be a smart-a** try looking into the topic a little more first, because otherwise you just might make yourself look really stupid for your comment. I think their main point in posting this article was to give people a starting ground on possible causes of new or unusual symptoms.
Bellevegas66 05:57:58 PM Aug 21 2008
Colored sweat?? Are you kidding me?So, let me get this straight-if I sweat for even a second, I could have anything from diabetes to menopause? Oh, and if my sweat stinks--that means I have malaria?I like the statement "this is a bunch of load"...lol...
DavidLee1053 02:26:14 PM Aug 20 2008
A little help, please.I sweat a lot. I mean the dripping off your nose and ears, running down your back and legs, in your eyes and mouth variety. My clothing can become so wet, in less than an hour, that it is as if someone poured water over me. The soles of my feet and palms of my hands remain relatively dry. But, the rest of me is as wet as if freshly showered.I am overweight and one doctor has said that there is nothing wrong with me that losing 40 lbs. wouldn`t help. Another says he can`t think of anything out of the ordinary that would cause it. Well, I have sweated this heavily for over 20 years. Including when I was 40 lbs lighter. The sports drink people wasted alot of money shooting video of athletes with "sweat" dripping off of them. They could have shot my face for a tenth the cost.Any ideas or similar experiences? davidlee1053@aol.com
JCFAN9 07:08:09 PM Aug 19 2008
Speaking as a healthcare professional, it is very important to KNOW your body. Sweating is pretty normal when it's hot or when you've been exersising. If you all of a sudden develop night sweats and you aren't going through menopause or if it's not the middle of summer and the A/C went out...then you should see a doctor. This can be a symptom of a disease.If you are having chest pain and you start to sweat, take an asprin and get to a hospital STAT!This article was informative, but it could have been formatted better and a little more information would be helpful to the non medical person.
KrookedDreamz06 04:48:40 PM Aug 19 2008
OOO NOO my spit taste kinda salty hope i dont have a lung problem give me a break.
Ohduckydoodoo 03:50:36 PM Aug 19 2008
you 2 are the experts right???? Hmmmm, just because you don't have any disease now it doesn't mean you won't get it. It could be a waring sign for the future.
WickedWoman8386 03:46:20 PM Aug 19 2008
this is a bunch of load. my sweat has always been "salty" since i was a kid for some reason.i have been to the doctor a numerous amount of times and there's nothing wrong with my lungs or anything else.
ACE251980A 03:10:28 PM Aug 19 2008
What a bunch of crock. There's too many mis diagonosing now days and this is another bunch of crock
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