Is excessive sweating under the armpits body odor?

Does excessive sweating under the armpits mean body odor? Many people don’t know much about this question. The sweat glands in the armpits are more developed, and they secrete more sweat, which makes it easy to produce body odor. Therefore, you should pay attention to personal hygiene, take a bath regularly, and change your underwear regularly to reduce body odor. If the body odor is severe, surgical treatment can be performed. Let’s take a closer look at the question of whether excessive sweating under the armpits means body odor.

1. Reasons

Causes of Excessive Axillary Sweating

Hyperhidrosis is caused by excessive secretion of the eccrine sweat glands, which manifests as abnormally excessive sweating throughout the body (generalized hyperhidrosis) or in a local area (localized hyperhidrosis). Hyperhidrosis can be secondary to certain mental and neurological diseases, metabolic diseases, endocrine disorders, tumors, drugs, etc., which is called secondary hyperhidrosis; the cause of primary hyperhidrosis is unknown, the most common sites of occurrence are the palms, armpits and soles, and occasionally occur in the head and neck, trunk and calves. The age of onset is mostly from childhood, worsens in adolescence and accompanies life. When the condition is serious, it not only affects the patient's work, life and study, but may even cause psychological disorders in the patient and make him afraid to participate in normal social activities. Local hyperhidrosis may be caused by sympathetic nerve damage or abnormal reaction, which increases the secretion of cholate acetate and leads to excessive sweat secretion by the eccrine glands.

Hyperhidrosis can be roughly divided into three categories based on the causes of the disease. One is caused by systemic diseases, such as endocrine disorders (hyperthyroidism, diabetes, hyperpituitarism, etc.), nervous system diseases, some infectious diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, etc.) and long-term illness causing physical weakness. Excessive sweating can be resolved as long as these systemic diseases are controlled. The second is psychogenic sweating, which is caused by high tension and emotional excitement, and is due to sympathetic nervous system disorders. Taking some sedatives orally (such as atropine, propantheline, belladonna mixture, etc.) has a temporary effect, but has side effects such as dry mouth. The third is gustatory sweating, which is another physiological phenomenon, such as sweating caused by eating certain irritating foods (chili, garlic, ginger, cocoa, coffee). This situation generally does not require treatment, only dietary restrictions.

2. Inspection

Diagnosis of axillary hyperhidrosis

There is currently no unified diagnostic standard for hyperhidrosis. In 2004, John Hornberger of the American Academy of Dermatology organized a collaborative group of experts from more than 20 institutions to develop a diagnostic reference standard.

The diagnosis can be confirmed if the hypersecretion of sweat glands is visible to the naked eye for more than 6 months without obvious inducement and meets two of the following conditions:

(1) The sweating areas on both sides are symmetrical.

(2) The attack occurs at least once a week.

(3) The age of onset is less than 25 years old.

(4) Positive family history.

(5) No excessive sweating during sleep.

(6) Impact on daily work and life.

If accompanied by fever, night sweats, and weight loss, attention should be paid to the possibility of secondary hyperhidrosis.