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Diaphoresis is excessive sweating commonly associated with shock and other medical emergency
Medical emergency

A medical emergency is an injury or illness that is Acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves....
 conditions.

Diaphoretic is the state of perspiring profusely, or something that has the power to cause increased perspiration.

al physical causes of diaphoresis include physical exertion, menopause
Menopause

The Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation which occurs a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan.The word was first applied to humans, and because of this it literally means the cessation of monthly cycles or menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots meno and pausis ....
, fever, spicy foods, and high environmental heat content. Strong emotions (anger, fear, etc.) and remembrance of past trauma can also trigger profuse sweating.

The vast majority of sweat glands in the body are innervated by sympathetic cholinergic neurons.






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Diaphoresis is excessive sweating commonly associated with shock and other medical emergency
Medical emergency

A medical emergency is an injury or illness that is Acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves....
 conditions.

Diaphoretic is the state of perspiring profusely, or something that has the power to cause increased perspiration.

Physiological (normal) causes

Normal physical causes of diaphoresis include physical exertion, menopause
Menopause

The Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation which occurs a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan.The word was first applied to humans, and because of this it literally means the cessation of monthly cycles or menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots meno and pausis ....
, fever, spicy foods, and high environmental heat content. Strong emotions (anger, fear, etc.) and remembrance of past trauma can also trigger profuse sweating.

The vast majority of sweat glands in the body are innervated by sympathetic cholinergic neurons. Sympathetic cholinergic neurons are sympathetic postganglionic neurons that happen to release acetylcholine instead of norepinephrine.

Pathological causes

Diaphoresis may be associated with some abnormal conditions,such as hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is the term for overactive tissue within the thyroid gland,resulting in overproduction and thus an excess of circulating free thyroid hormones: thyroxine , triiodothyronine , or both....
 and shock. If it is accompanied by unexplained weight loss
Weight loss

Weight loss, in the context of medicine or health or physical fitness, is a reduction of the total body weight, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon and other connective tissue....
 or fever
Fever

Fever is a frequent medical sign that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body's thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1?2 ?C ....
 or by palpitation
Palpitation

A palpitation is an abnormal awareness of the heart rate of the heart, whether it is too slow, too fast, irregular, or at its normal frequency. It should not be confused with ectopic beat....
s, shortness of breath
Dyspnea

Dyspnea or dyspnoea , from Latin language dyspnoea, from Greek language dyspnoia from dyspnoos, shortness of breath) or shortness of breath is perceived to be difficulty of breathing or painful breathing that a patient is aware of....
, or chest discomfort, a physician
Physician

A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
 should be consulted. Diabetics relying on insulin
Insulin

Insulin is a hormone with extensive effects on both metabolism and several other body systems . Insulin causes most of the body's cells to take up glucose from the blood , storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and stops use of fat as an energy source....
 shots or oral medications may have low blood sugar
Blood sugar

Blood sugar concentration, or glucose level, refers to the amount of glucose present in a mammal's blood. Normally, the blood glucose level is maintained at a Reference_ranges_for_blood_tests#Electrolytes_and_Metabolites between about 4 and 6 mM ....
 (hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycaemia or hypoglycemia is the medical term for a Pathology state produced by a lower than normal level of Blood glucose. The term hypoglycemia literally means "under-sweet blood" ....
), which can also cause diaphoresis.

Various drugs (including caffeine
Caffeine

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic. Caffeine was discovered by a German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, in 1819....
, morphine
Morphine

Morphine is a highly potent opiate analgesic Medication, is the principal active agent in opium, and is considered to be the prototypical opioid....
, alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
, and certain antipsychotics) may be causes, as well as withdrawal
Withdrawal

Withdrawal, also known as withdrawal/abstinence syndrome, refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that causes physical dependence is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or decreased in dosage....
 from alcohol or narcotic
Narcotic

The term narcotic is believed to have been coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis....
 painkiller dependencies. Sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system

The Sympathetic Nervous System is a branch of the autonomic nervous system along with the enteric nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system....
 stimulants such as cocaine
Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine....
 and amphetamines have also been associated with diaphoresis. Diaphoresis due to ectopic catecholamine
Catecholamine

Catecholamines are chemical compounds derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Their name is derived from the fact that they contain catechol and amine moieties....
 is a classic symptom of a pheochromocytoma
Pheochromocytoma

A phaeochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor of the Adrenal medulla of the adrenal glands , or extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue that failed to involute after birth and secretes excessive amounts of catecholamines, usually epinephrine and norepinephrine....
, a rare tumor
Tumor

A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be Benign neoplasm, Carcinoma in situ or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
 of the adrenal gland
Adrenal gland

In mammals, the adrenal glands are the star-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys; their name indicates that position . They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the biosynthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamines, including cortisol and adrenaline, respectively....
.

Diaphoresis is also seen in an acute myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
 (heart attack), from the increased firing of the sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system

The Sympathetic Nervous System is a branch of the autonomic nervous system along with the enteric nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system....
,and is frequent in serotonin syndrome
Serotonin syndrome

Serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction that may occur following therapeutic drug use, inadvertent interactions between drugs, overdose of particular drugs, or the recreational use of certain drugs....
. Diaphoresis can also be caused by many types of infections, often accompanied by fever
Fever

Fever is a frequent medical sign that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body's thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1?2 ?C ....
 and/or chills. Most infections can cause some degree of diaphoresis and it is a very common symptom in some serious infections such as malaria
Malaria

Malaria is a Vector -borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in Tropics and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa....
 and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the...
.

Treatment

When diaphoresis is pathologic,the underlying cause should be treated. When the cause is menopause, the woman may wish to ask her physician about estrogen replacement. Once potential pathological and environmental causes of diaphoresis are ruled out by a physician, it is more accurately referred to as hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is the condition characterized by abnormally increased perspiration, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature....
.

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