title: The psychiatric facet of hyperhidrosis: demographics, disability, quality of life, and associated psychopathology.
abstract: We compared the sociodemographic and psychiatric features of treatment-seeking patients with (n=17) and without (n=29) primary hyperhidrosis (HYH) attending an outpatient dermatological clinic. Subjects were assessed with a structured clinical questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, as well as the Screening for Abnormal Olfactory Experiences (to assess for symptoms of olfactory reference syndrome), the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, the Social Phobia Inventory, the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, the Skindex-16 (a quality of life measure for patients with skin diseases), and the Sheehan Disability Scale. Patients with HYH were more frequently younger (p=0.003), unmarried (p=0.004), employed (p=0.019), more educated (p<0.0001), and better paid (p=0.001) than non-HYH patients. However, they also reported greater disabilities and impairments in work/school (p=0.05) and social life (p=0.014) domains, worse quality of life in emotional (p=0.003) and functioning (p>0.001) dimensions, and they had a greater frequency of comorbid social anxiety disorder (p=0.019). Conversely, non-HYH patients had greater severity of obsessive-compulsive neutralization symptoms (repeating compulsions, counting, and having lucky/unlucky numbers) (p=0.034). In conclusion, patients with HYH are characterized by differential sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics, with major disability, marked impairment in quality of life, and increased rates of social anxiety disorder.
authors.affiliation: LESSA and de MENEZES: Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; LUZ, de REZENDE, and DURÃES: Fluminense Federal University Medical School, Brazil; HARRISON: The University of Melbourne, Australia; FONTENELLE: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Fluminense Federal University, and D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro.
authors.forename: Larissa Da R
authors.initials: Lda R
authors.lastname: Lessa
authors.forename: Flavio B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.forename: Rebeca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: De Rezende
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Durães
authors.forename: Ben J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Gabriela B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: De Menezes
authors.forename: Leonardo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Fontenelle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*