Association of primary focal hyperhidrosis with anxiety induced by sweating: A cross-sectional study of Japanese university students focusing on the severity of hyperhidrosis and site of sweating

Hyperhidrosis significantly reduces patients' quality of life, with many reporting feeling highly anxious. However, the relationship between hyperhidrosis and anxiety induced by sweating has not been examined in detail. The current study examined the relationship between: (1) the presence of hyperhidrosis symptoms, (2) hyperhidrosis severity, and (3) the sites of the most sweating and anxiety induced by sweating. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among university students, and 1080 consenting participants (600 males and 480 females; mean age, 18.8 years) were included in the analysis. The survey items were: (1) diagnostic criteria for hyperhidrosis, (2) Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale, (3) presence of anxiety induced by sweating, and (4) site of the most sweating. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex and age showed that the odds ratio (OR) for anxiety induced by sweating was significantly higher in participants who screened positive for hyperhidrosis than in those who screened negative (OR, 9.72 [95% CI, 5.80–16.27]). The OR of anxiety induced by sweating was 7.11 (95% CI, 3.99–12.65) for mild/moderate hyperhidrosis and 23.46 (95% CI, 7.15–76.93) for severe hyperhidrosis, compared with those who screened negative for hyperhidrosis. Compared with those who screened negative for hyperhidrosis, the OR for anxiety induced by sweating in those with the palmar, plantar, axillary, and head/face as the site of the most sweating was 7.74 (95% CI, 3.91–15.33), 14.86 (95% CI, 1.83–120.58), 16.92 (95% CI, 5.95–48.14), and 5.38 (95% CI, 1.39–20.74), respectively. Our findings suggest that participants who screened positive for hyperhidrosis, mild/moderate or severe, are at a higher risk of anxiety induced by sweating than participants who screened negative for hyperhidrosis.