A groundbreaking discovery has shed light on a potential cause of a chronic condition characterized by uncontrollable, excessive sweating, potentially opening doors to more effective treatments.
Known as hyperhidrosis, this condition triggers profuse sweating without common stimuli like high temperatures or physical exertion.
Individuals afflicted often experience overwhelming perspiration that soaks through clothing or drips from their hands, interfering with daily activities and necessitating frequent wardrobe changes.
For a long time, hyperhidrosis was primarily considered a dysfunction of the sweat glands themselves.
However, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have recently discovered that a genetic mutation affecting nerve control over sweat glands might be the true culprit.
Dr Malcom Brock, a surgeon who led the research, said: ‘Our findings show that, for some patients, the problem actually begins in the nerves that control sweating.
‘This biological explanation for the condition offers a potential pathway to more effective treatments.’
Primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis occurs when the body produces significantly more sweat than is necessary for temperature regulation (stock)
In the study, published in Science Advances, researchers collected DNA from families with inherited hyperhidrosis and compared their data.
They found that one fifth of sufferers had a mutation on the SCN10A gene for sodium channel NaV1.8, found in nerves that control the activity of sweat glands.
In the second half of the study, scientists then engineered mice to carry the mutation, and the test subjects developed excessive sweating – just like in humans. This showed a direct correlation between the genetic mutation and the condition.
Additional studies revealed that the NaV1.8 channel affects sympathetic nerve cells that control sweating, making those cells more active and causing the body to produce too much sweat.
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‘We found that this mutation essentially turns up the volume on the nerve signals that stimulate sweating,’ Brock said. ‘That insight gives us a specific target to pursue for future therapies.’
Hyperhidrosis affects an estimated 15.3 million Americans and often runs in families. It is most common in adults between the ages of 18 and 39.
Risk factors include having a close relative with the condition, taking medications that increase sweating, or having an underlying medical condition linked to excessive perspiration.
To diagnose hyperhidrosis, healthcare providers may order blood or other laboratory tests to rule out underlying causes, or perform a sweat test to pinpoint where sweating occurs and assess its severity.
Typical treatment for hyperhidrosis begins with prescription-strength antiperspirant, but depending on the condition’s severity, it can evolve into stronger medications including oral pills, botulinum toxin injections, and device therapy.
These findings open up a new door for treating the condition, as one expert told the Daily Mail current treatments for hyperhidrosis are designed to control the excessive sweating once it is present.
‘While these treatments can be quite successful at addressing the symptom of excessive sweating, this approach does not address the biological mechanism as to why some individuals develop hyperhidrosis,’ Dr Paul Gross, primary care physician and medical doctor at LIV3 Health, told Daily Mail.
‘By developing an understanding of how to treat hyperhidrosis closer to its origin, researchers will be able to direct future therapies toward correcting the abnormal nerve pathways identified by this research,’ he added.
‘Although these treatments provide relief from the symptoms experienced by most patients, they do not treat the cause,’ Dr Gross said. ‘Therefore, many people experience the need to have additional treatments throughout their lives.’
The expert added that this groundbreaking study could eventually lead to a new generation of treatments, targeted at the overactive nerves.
‘While there is much work to be done before these treatments are available, this study represents an important first step toward providing treatment options that are more accurate and long-term,’ he said.
