Hyperhidrosis of the head refers to a significant increase in the amount of sweat on the head, which may be accompanied by increased sweating in other parts of the body, irritability, flushing, thirst, fever, etc. This may be caused by non-disease causes such as high temperature environment, spicy diet, strenuous exercise, or by diseases such as localized hyperhidrosis, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency rickets, malaria, etc.
symptom
Typical manifestations
The most direct manifestation of head hyperhidrosis is a significant increase in the amount of sweat on the head, especially on the forehead, temples and cheeks. This symptom may occur suddenly or persist, and is often aggravated by mood swings, eating spicy food, rising temperatures or sleeping, and may be accompanied by symptoms such as increased sweating in other parts of the body, irritability, palpitations, flushing, thirst, and fever.
complication
There are generally no obvious complications.
reason
Overview
There are many clinical causes of excessive sweating on the head, including but not limited to high temperature environment, spicy food, strenuous exercise, hyperhidrosis, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency rickets, malaria, etc.
Cause of symptoms
1. High temperature environment
In a hot environment, the body will increase sweat secretion to dissipate heat in order to maintain a normal body temperature. As the head is an area with abundant sweat glands, it is natural that there will be excessive sweating.
2. Spicy food
Spicy foods contain irritating substances such as capsaicin, which can speed up metabolism, promote blood circulation, cause the body to produce more heat, and stimulate sweat gland secretion, especially in areas with dense sweat glands such as the head.
3. Vigorous exercise
During strenuous exercise, muscle activity generates a lot of heat, which needs to be dissipated through sweating. As the head is rich in sweat glands, the amount of sweating increases accordingly.
4. Hyperhidrosis
If you suffer from this disease, it may be due to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, resulting in sympathetic nerve excitement, leading to excessive excitability of sweat glands, which may cause excessive sweating in local areas such as the head, or widespread sweating throughout the body.
5. Hyperthyroidism
If you suffer from this disease, the increased thyroid hormone levels may increase your basal metabolic rate, causing your body to produce more heat, which needs to be dissipated through sweating, which may manifest as excessive sweating on the head and other parts of the body.
6. Vitamin D deficiency rickets
Vitamin D deficiency can affect calcium metabolism, leading to a decrease in blood calcium levels, which may cause increased excitability of the nervous system and stimulate sweat gland secretion, manifesting as increased sweating on the head.
7. Malaria
Malaria is caused by infection with Plasmodium. During an attack, the body temperature rises sharply and the body needs to regulate its temperature by sweating, which may manifest as excessive sweating on the head and other parts of the body.
8. Others
Diseases such as diabetes, hyperpituitarism, pheochromocytoma, Parkinson’s disease, etc. may also cause excessive sweating on the head.
Common diseases
Hyperhidrosis, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency rickets, malaria, diabetes, hyperpituitarism, pheochromocytoma, Parkinson’s disease
Medical treatment
Outpatient Indications
1. Long-term or repeated excessive sweating on the head;
2. Accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, palpitations, fatigue, and heat intolerance;
3. Accompanied by symptoms such as easy fright, pale complexion, and muscle weakness;
4. Accompanied by fever, chills and other symptoms;
5. Other severe, persistent or progressive symptoms and signs occur.
All of the above require prompt medical consultation.
Department
1. If you suspect that hyperhidrosis is the cause, you should see a dermatologist.
2. If you suspect that the condition is caused by endocrine diseases such as hyperthyroidism and diabetes, you should go to the endocrinology department for treatment.
3. If you suspect that rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency, you should go to the nutrition department for treatment.
4. If you suspect that the disease is caused by an infectious disease such as malaria, you should go to the infectious disease department for treatment.
Medical preparation
1. Make an appointment in advance and bring your ID card, medical insurance card, medical card, etc.
2. If you have had medical treatment recently, please bring relevant medical records, examination reports, test results, etc.
3. If you have taken some medicine to relieve symptoms recently, you can carry the medicine box.
4. Family members can be arranged to accompany the patient to seek medical treatment.
5. Patients can prepare a list of questions they want to ask in advance.
Questions your doctor may ask you
1. When did your head sweat more and more? Under what circumstances did it happen?
2. Is the excessive sweating limited to the head, or does it occur in other parts of the body?
3. Do you have other symptoms, such as irritability, palpitations, fever, etc.?
4. What are your daily living and eating habits like?
5. Have you been diagnosed with any diseases before, such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.?
6. Does your family have similar symptoms of excessive sweating?
7. Have you ever received treatment? How was it treated? What was the effect?
Questions patients can ask their doctors
1. What causes excessive sweating on my head?
2. Can my excessive sweating on the head be completely cured?
3. What inspections are needed?
4. How to treat it? How long does it take?
5. In daily life, what should I pay attention to to reduce the symptoms of excessive sweating on the head?
examine
Estimated inspection
If you have long-term or recurrent excessive sweating on your head, you should actively seek medical attention. After seeing a doctor, the doctor will first conduct a physical examination on the patient to gain a preliminary understanding of the condition, and may then recommend blood tests, thyroid hormone testing, blood sugar testing, vitamin testing, etiology testing, thyroid ultrasound, head CT, autonomic nerve function testing, and other tests to determine the cause.
Physical examination
1. Basic vital signs measurement
The doctor will measure the patient’s body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure to get a preliminary understanding of the patient’s overall health status and help determine whether the patient has fever, high blood pressure, etc.
2. Skin examination
The doctor will not only observe the parts of the head that are prone to sweating, the amount of sweating, the color of the head skin, and whether there are abnormal manifestations such as erythema; he will also observe whether there is excessive sweating in other parts of the body to assess the severity and distribution of excessive sweating and help determine the cause of excessive sweating on the head.
3. Others
If necessary, the doctor will also perform neurological examinations such as muscle strength, muscle tone, reflexes, etc. to assess the patient’s neurological functional status.
Laboratory tests
1. Blood routine test
This test can understand the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin and other indicators, thereby determining whether the patient has infection, anemia and other conditions.
2. Thyroid hormone measurement
This test can understand the levels of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, total thyroxine, total triiodothyronine and other indicators, evaluate the thyroid function status, and thus determine whether there is a thyroid disease such as hyperthyroidism.
3. Blood glucose measurement
Including indicators such as fasting blood sugar, postprandial blood sugar, and glycosylated hemoglobin, which help to clarify the patient’s blood sugar level and determine whether there are abnormal sugar metabolism diseases such as diabetes.
4. Vitamin determination
This test can understand the levels of indicators such as vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B1, etc. in order to determine whether there is vitamin deficiency.
5. Etiological examination
Pathological examination helps to determine whether the patient has an infectious disease, such as malaria, tuberculosis, etc.
Imaging tests
1. Thyroid ultrasound
This examination can observe the size, shape, blood flow, etc. of the thyroid gland, thereby helping to detect thyroid lesions.
2. Head CT
This examination can observe the intracranial structure and help rule out excessive sweating on the head caused by organic intracranial lesions.
Other tests
Autonomic function tests can help us understand whether the patient’s autonomic function is normal, thus providing a basis for diagnosis and treatment.
diagnosis
Diagnostic principles
Generally, according to the medical history, the patient has a significant increase in head sweating, or is accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, flushing, thirst, fever, etc., and combined with the results of blood routine, thyroid hormone measurement, blood sugar measurement, vitamin measurement, etiology examination, thyroid ultrasound, head CT, autonomic nerve function examination, etc., a clear diagnosis can be made. During the diagnosis process, doctors need to differentiate several common diseases that cause head sweating, such as hyperhidrosis, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency rickets, etc.
Differential Diagnosis
1. Hyperhidrosis
Excessive sweating on the head is more obvious on the forehead and tip of the nose, and can manifest as persistent or paroxysmal sweating, but generally does not occur at night when falling asleep.
2. Hyperthyroidism
In addition to the head, other parts of the body may also experience excessive sweating, which may be accompanied by irritability, restlessness and insomnia, palpitations, fatigue, heat intolerance, weight loss, increased appetite, increased bowel movements or diarrhea, and scanty menstruation in women. The diagnosis can usually be confirmed through tests such as thyroid hormone testing.
3. Vitamin D deficiency rickets
It is more common in infants under 2 years old, and may be accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, baldness on the back of the head, pale complexion, muscle weakness, etc. The diagnosis can usually be confirmed through tests such as vitamin determination.
treat
Expected treatment
For patients with excessive sweating on the head, they should first pay attention to proper rest, light diet, and emotional regulation. If the symptoms persist for a long time or recur repeatedly, the cause should be determined in time under the guidance of a doctor, and then targeted measures should be taken to improve the discomfort as soon as possible.
Treatment of the cause
1. Hyperhidrosis
Patients can choose antiperspirants for local treatment according to the doctor’s advice. Commonly used ones include 20%~25% aluminum chloride solution, 0.5% aluminum acetate solution, 5% alum solution, etc. The medication regimen should be determined according to the degree of hyperhidrosis and the response to the drug to avoid problems such as dryness and severe irritation at the medication site. Sometimes, patients may need to combine oral medications, such as phenobarbital tablets and atropine sulfate tablets. For those who are ineffective with other treatments, surgical treatment may be taken as appropriate, such as sweat gland removal and sympathetic nerve blockade.
2. Hyperthyroidism
The treatment plan needs to be determined based on factors such as the condition, the pros and cons of the treatment method, and the willingness to treat, and mainly includes drug therapy (such as propylthiouracil tablets, methimazole tablets, lithium carbonate tablets, etc.), radioactive 131 I therapy, and subtotal thyroidectomy.
3. Vitamin D deficiency rickets
Patients need to supplement vitamin D and calcium as prescribed by their doctor. Vitamin D should be supplemented mainly orally, and intramuscular injection can be used when necessary. Calcium supplementation should be mainly by increasing calcium-rich foods in the diet, and calcium carbonate tablets and other drugs can be used when necessary.
General treatment
1. Get adequate rest and avoid strenuous exercise to avoid increased sweating.
2. Keep the indoor temperature and ventilation appropriate to reduce sweating.
3. Keep a calm mind and avoid excessive anxiety or tension.
4. Eat a light diet and reduce the intake of spicy and irritating foods and drinks.
5. Wash your head regularly and keep your skin clean and dry.
6. Choose shampoo and conditioner that are suitable for your scalp type and avoid using products that may irritate your scalp.
Drug treatment
See treatment of cause for details.
Related drugs
20%~25% aluminum chloride solution, 0.5% aluminum acetate solution, 5% alum solution, phenobarbital tablets, atropine sulfate tablets, propylthiouracil tablets, methimazole tablets, lithium carbonate tablets, vitamin D, calcium carbonate tablets
Surgery
See treatment of cause for details.
Treatment cycle
The treatment cycle is affected by factors such as the severity of the disease, treatment plan, timing of treatment, age and physical condition, and may vary from individual to individual.
Estimated cost of treatment
There may be significant individual differences in treatment costs, which are related to the chosen hospital, treatment plan, medical insurance policy, etc.