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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffDuring your appointment, your doctor asks about your medical history and conducts a physical exam. He or she may order blood or urine tests to determine if the excessive sweating is caused by another medical condition, such as an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
Your doctor may also conduct a thermoregulatory sweat test. During this test, a moisture-sensitive indicator powder is applied to your skin. The powder changes color from yellow-green to dark purple in areas where excessive sweating occurs at room temperature. A digital photo documents this. Then, you are exposed to high heat and humidity in a sweat cabinet that causes sweating over the entire body.
People who have hyperhidrosis tend to sweat even more in the palms in a warm environment, whereas normal individuals tend not to sweat from the palms. The findings from the thermoregulatory sweat test help your doctor accurately make a diagnosis and define the severity of the condition to determine the most appropriate treatment.
