Sweating is a perfectly normal function of the human body, and is used to regulate temperature and avoid overheating.
However, it is also possible for some people to suffer from a condition known as hyperhidrosis, which basically involves an excess of sweat being produced.
Parents can spot the signs of hyperhidrosis in their children and help them to cope with this effectively, but only if they know what to look for. Here are just a few of the symptoms to add to your watch list so you can act swiftly and compassionately.
Age matters
Before delving into this issue further, it is worth noting that puberty is a major catalyst for excessive sweating, and you should not be too concerned if your child begins to sweat significantly more than they did in the past as they enter their teenage years.
On the other hand, if much younger children are prone to excessive sweating, this is less common, and should be scrutinized more closely.
It’s important to keep in mind that there is a clear link between hyperhidrosis and anxiety, so you shouldn’t be too dismissive of any concerns your child has as these types of issues can be exacerbated over time.
Symptoms to note
The real challenge is to establish whether or not heavy sweating in a child is excessive or not. You can use cues in the environment around you, as well as your own judgement, to determine this.
If the weather is hot, or the temperature inside your home is turned up high, then sweating a lot is to be expected. The signs of hyperhidrosis are if a child sweats through their clothing if the conditions are not conducive to this kind of response. And if you and other members of your family are not sweating to the same extent, there may be an underlying condition at play.
Sweating may be localized to specific areas, such as the armpits, or generalized across the entire body, with sweat forming on the face, palms, torso and feet.
Causes & next steps
There can be a number of different root issues behind hyperhidrosis in children, the simplest of which may be purely circumstantial. For example, if younger kids are wearing significantly more clothing indoors than adults, or if they have recently undergone intense physical activity or periods of significant stimulation, excess sweat is a normal side-effect.
More serious issues that spur on sweating can range from infections and mental health problems like the aforementioned anxiety, to diabetes, hypertension and even hyperthyroidism. In certain cases the cause may be prescription drugs which the child is taking to treat another illness, so check the small print to see if this is a known side-effect.
If the instance of hyperhidrosis is a one-off and it does not recur, it should not be a cause for concern. If it persists, and is combined with other signs of an underlying illness, make sure your child sees a pediatrician to investigate this further.
