THE GP
‘Anxiety is often a cause’
Professor Steve Field, GP and chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners
When people have come to see me complaining of hyperhidrosis, or excess sweating, the most common cause has been anxiety and stress. We try to get to the root of the patient’s anxiety and use talking therapies to treat the problem.
People who have had breast cancer may experience sweating — this is due to the treatment that they have received. Pregnancy, antidepressants and some treatments for Alzheimer’s can also lead to sweatiness.
In a small number of cases it can be an early sign of TB, Hodgkin’s disease or HIV. We couple all treatments for sweating with general health advice about alcohol intake and