ReportsUS prevalence of hyperhidrosis and impact on individuals with axillary hyperhidrosis: Results from a national survey☆
Section snippets
Methods
Using a consumer omnibus survey, 150,000 US households were screened with a series of questions to define the US hyperhidrosis population. The number of households surveyed was calculated based on an estimated incidence of 0.6% to 1%4 of the US population older than 12 years with hyperhidrosis (we assumed this to be a prevalence figure for the purposes of the sample size estimate). The sample source was NFO WorldGroup's consumer panel, which consists of a nationally representative sample of US
Results
Among the 150,000 households sampled, 69% responded to the survey and 64% completed the necessary components for the prevalence estimate. There did not appear to be substantive response bias as the demographics of the respondents were very similar to the total panel sampled and there was little difference between responders and nonresponders. Any variation in demographics between these groups was adjusted for in the weighting process, so that the final weighted sample of data was representative
Discussion
This analysis provides original information on hyperhidrosis and is the first large representative survey of the prevalence and impact of this disease. The epidemiologic data on hyperhidrosis available before this analysis were insufficient to provide precise prevalence estimates or an understanding of the impact of this illness in the general population. The data provided by this survey fill an important gap in the information available for this disease and are a necessary first step in
Conclusions
The hyperhidrosis prevalence estimates provided by this survey indicate that this disease affects a much larger proportion of individuals in the United States than previously thought (7.8 million individuals or 2.8% of the population). Approximately half of these individuals have axillary hyperhidrosis (4 million individuals or 1.4% of the population) and a large proportion (1.3 million individuals or 0.5% of the population) have sweating that is barely tolerable and frequently interferes or is
References (26)
Treatment of hyperhidrosis
Dermatol Clin
(1998)- et al.
Palmar hyperhidrosis: evidence of genetic transmission
J Vasc Surg
(2002) - et al.
Quality-of-life assessment in patients with hyperhidrosis before and after treatment with botulinum toxin: results of an open-label study
Clin Ther
(2003) - et al.
Liposuction for treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis
Dermatol Clin
(1990) Endoscopic upper thoracic sympathectomy
Neurosurg Clin North Am
(2001)- et al.
Hyperhidrosis: a review of current management
Plast Reconstr Surg
(2002) - et al.
The treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis: a review
Surg Today
(2000) - et al.
Palmar hyperhidrosis and its surgical treatment: a report of 100 cases
Ann Surg
(1977) - et al.
Hyperhidrosis
Int J Dermatol
(1999) Reflex sweating in patients with spinal cord injury: a review
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
(1977)
Diabetic gustatory sweating
South Med J
Diabetic gustatory sweating
Am J Gastroenterol
Patients with troublesome sweating
J Palliat Care
Cited by (521)
Microwave energy devices for hyperhidrosis are associated with infections, neurologic symptoms, and burns in a retrospective analysis of the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database 2013-2022
2023, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyA novel lotion formulation of 20% oxybutynin hydrochloride for the treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase III study
2023, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyEvaluation of quality of life (QOL) of young patients with primary hyperhidrosis (PH) before and after endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS)
2023, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
- ☆
Supported by Allergan Inc.
Disclosures: Drs Strutton, Stang, and Glaser are consultants to Allergan Inc. Dr Glaser owns stock in Allergan Inc. Dr Kowalski is employed by and owns stock in Allergan Inc.
Presented at the American Academy of Dermatology 2003 Annual Meeting and in part at the Canadian Dermatology Association 2003 Annual Meeting.