OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of life and the presence of compensatory hyperhidrosis of patients submitted to sympathectomy as a treatment of hyperhidrosis. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients submitted to surgical treatment for hand hyperhidrosis at the Santa Casa Hospital of Belo Horizonte were included in this investigation, according to their age, gender and skin color. These patients were studied according to the indication of surgical treatment, previous clinical therapeutics, their complaints related to hyperhydrosis, incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis and its relation with personality and local of hyperhidrosis. The patients' satisfaction with the treatment was observed as well. Differences were considered as significant when their values were greater than the corresponding to p < 0.05. RESULTS: Personal discomfort with excessive perspiration was the main complaint of 27 (54%) patients; social embarrassment occurred in 23 (46%) of these patients; adversities at school was reported by 22 (44%) patients; discomfort at work occurred in 20 (40%) patients. 33 (66%) of these patients started to feel the effects of the ailment during the childhood; 15 (30%) when they were teenagers (from 12 to 18 years of age) and only 1 (2%) started this problem in the adult life (after 18 years of age). Heat was responsible for bringing on a perspiration crisis in 17 (34%) of the patients and anxiety occurred in 19 (38%). Anger or exasperation provoked crisis in 31 (62%) patients. Compensatory hyperhidrosis occurred in 39 (78%) of patients including 3 (6%) compensatory perspiration on feet, 28 (56%) on dorsum, and 8 (16%) presented either on dorsum and feet. Despite these findings, 46 (92%) patients considered their quality of life improved. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment for hyperhidrosis improved the quality of life of our patients, and compensatory hyperhidrosis was present in most of them.
Sympathectomy; Hyperhidrosis; Quality of life; Upper extremity
