MS and Sweating

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:30 am

One of the unusual and unexpected side effects of the stent procedure at Stanford - for both Jeff and Sharon- has been increased sweating. Jeff and Sharon were the most physically active MSers to receive stents (so far)...so it is hard to judge if the others will see this side effect. Marie...now that you're back to the elliptical, you working up a "glow"?

This reaction happened to both of them soon after the stenting procedure, and is probably not due to lesion healing, but more likely due to better circulation, oxygenation and faster perfusion time in the brain and specifically the hypothalamus.

Sweating impairment in MS has actually been studied:

Sweating impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Saari A, Tolonen U, Pääkkö E, Suominen K, Jauhiainen J, Sotaniemi KA, Myllylä VV.
Department of Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Objectives - To measure sweating in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Materials and methods - Sweating was measured by an evaporimeter after a heating stimulus in 29 MS patients and in 15 healthy control subjects. Results - The MS patients sweated markedly less than the controls. After 10 min of heating the sweating was significantly lower in the forehead (P = 0.034), feet (right, P = 0.033; left, P = 0.037) and legs (right, P = 0.043; left, P = 0.029) of the MS patients than in those of the controls. After 15 min of heating the difference was statistically significant only in the feet (right, P = 0.043; left, P = 0.029). The Expanded Disability Status Scale score correlated inversely with sweating at 15 min of heating in the left hand (r = 0.42, P < 0.05), and in the left (r = 0.36, P < 0.05) and right foot (r = 0.37, P < 0.05). Conclusions - MS is associated with an impairment in thermoregulatory sweating which seems to be related to the disease severity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19456306

Autonomic dysfunction (sweating responses) in
multiple sclerosis
M. J. NORONHA, C. J. VAS, AND H. AZIZ
From the Neurological Departments of the General Infirmary at Leeds and
Pinderfields General Hospital, Wakefield

Our results suggest that abnormal thermoregulatory sweating responses occur in multiple sclerosis. Thermal sweating is a reflex. The afferent portion of the arc consists of afferent neurones from dermal receptors and warm blood acting on thermosensitive cells in the hypothalamus. The principal centres for regulation of sweating have not yet been located but probably reside in the hypothalamus near the tem- perature centres. The descending fibres from the hypothalamus and the sympathetic outflow of the thoraco-lumbar cord constitute the efferent portion of the reflex arc.

link

interesting, huh?
cheer

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 3:54 pm

I'm a big, big sweater, and still am. I just can't get that worked up through exercise anymore, but the few times I've laid out in the sun in an attempt to absorb max. vit. D, I still sweat like mad. I was one of those that would soak a shirt to the point of being able to wring it out just playing golf. Like I said, I always still got the beet face, but I'm a major sweater.

mrhodes40 · Post by **mrhodes40** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:34 pm

Yes I broke out in a delicate sweat in the sun today and on the ellipse....I can't get a big sweat on that I know if we will see if I exercise more

skydog · Post by **skydog** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:18 pm

Sure could have used a little sweat today for cooling. Trapped inside until this evening when I was able to go for a short hike along palm ave. Glad you are able to glisten a bit Marie. Lew your lucky. I used to literally spray sweat from head to toe. Now not even damp pits. Looking forward to the turnaround of this condition more than all the rest. Nite All Mark

daniel · Post by **daniel** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:08 pm

Does anyone with MS have the opposite issue? I feel like I sweat wayyy too much. The slightest amount of heat or physical activity will cause my forehead to start pouring buckets...

zap · Post by **zap** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:51 pm

I don't sweat much during the day, even with strenuous activity - but there have been times when I was having major problems with nightsweats - waking up in a literal puddle night after night.

catfreak · Post by **catfreak** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:52 pm

Daniel wrote:

Does anyone with MS have the opposite issue? I feel like I sweat wayyy too much. The slightest amount of heat or physical activity will cause my forehead to start pouring buckets...

I am like Daniel. I always said I am just hot natured. I tried to fix lunch one day right after I got home from Stanford and I got so hot and sweaty I almost passed out.

Saturday I swept and mopped the kitchen floor and you would have thought I ran 10 miles in the rain.

I thought this would get better?

Cat

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:55 pm

Mel sweats more now for sure.

CureIous · Post by **CureIous** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:38 pm

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:47 pm

This has become a joke in our house, because Jeff sweats more now than ever. He's always been outdoorsy, but since stenting, he stinks! I actually bought him a new brand of deoderant today, because his old brand frankly wasn't cutting it....I went for the industrial strength, all day protection. (Is this TMI?)

Anyhoo...we figure it's because his thermoregulatory system is finally working, now that the emissary veins are flowing, his body gets the message to sweat more. I think it will be different for each MS patient as to levels of sweating- but the result is that the body can cool itself more effectively, and there is no more heat intolerance. Really important for stento-teers to hydrate!
cheer

CureIous · Post by **CureIous** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:58 pm

mrhodes40 · Post by **mrhodes40** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:08 pm

Yeah I am with you, I think you are right. The body is INCREDIBLY adaptable so it adapts to whatever it has to deal with. It will adapt back I think, just give it time.

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:13 pm

Hey Mark,

Mel got that ear thing as well.

It went away eventually, one morning it just 'popped' as she woke up and hasn't had it since.

Normalisation of pressure probably takes a while.

prof8 · Post by **prof8** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:38 pm

Thanks for sharing the research on sweating. I'm one of those people that NEVER sweat. Literally I don't need antiperspirant. Even if I workout hard at the gym I barely sweat...maybe around my forehead a little. I always wondered if there was something wrong with me. I'll be interested to see what happens after surgery. Sweating cools your body down which is necessary to prevent heat related problems in MS patients. Maybe we also have issues with sweating because of the MS, thus heat bothers us more and so on. ??????

skydog · Post by **skydog** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:29 pm

Aside from the brief period following surgery I have not been able to sweat for nearly three years. Hotter than the blue blazes for the coast here today. Once tried the sweat or die approach and realized that death might come before sweating so now I just use lots of alternative cooling implements. I have found that spritzing with a spray bottle helps and wearing a wet neck wrap works most of the time. Now when it just gets scorching hot and I am nearing the point of meltdown I dunk my whole head in a sink of cool water followed by soaking my elbows in the cool water until just shy of shivering. You have to do what ever it takes to stay mobile. Anyone have suggestions for inducing sweat without increasing the body's temp. I can remember when I was young eating large salty pickles from a local market on the way home from school and this would make me sweat. Must be something out there that we non sweaters could do to open up the pores without wilting from the heat. Chilling out, Mark