Sweating

Sweating (also known as perspiration or diaphoresis) is the production and evaporation of a fluid, consisting primarily of water as well as various dissolved solids (chiefly chlorides), that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.

Function

Sweating is primarily a means of thermoregulation which is achieved by the water-rich secretion of the eccrine glands. Maximum sweat rates of an adult can be up to 2-4 liters per hour or 10-14 liters per day (10-15 g/min·m²), but is less in children prior to puberty.

Mechanism

Eccrine sweat glands are distributed almost all over the human body, in varying densities, with the highest density in palms and soles, then on the head, but much less on the trunk and the extremities.

Clinical significance

Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally increased sweating, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat normally.

See also

• Antiperspirant
• Deodorant
• Diaphoresis
• Hyperhidrosis
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• Hypohidrosis
• Night sweats
• Thermoregulation

External links

• Mayo Clinic - Hyperhidrosis
• WebMD - Hyperhidrosis

Sweating Resources
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