What Is Anhidrosis?
4. Patterns of Anhidrosis or Hypohidrosis
In clinical practice, the patterns of hypohidrosis or anhidrosis are global anhidrosis where more than 80% of the body surface is affected. This is often seen in patients with primary autonomic failure, hypothalamic lesion, and chronic idiopathic anhidrosis. In hemianhidrosis, there is incomplete anhidrosis (usually ipsilateral or of the same side of the body) due to lesions of the descending sympathetic pathways (i.e. brainstem or spinal cord). In segmental anhidrosis, there is the involvement of large areas that are asymmetrical, contiguous, with sharply demarcated borders.
Moreover, in distal anhidrosis, there is sweat loss in the distal lower limbs that eventually progresses to affect the fingers and lower anterior abdomen. Finally, focal anhidrosis affects isolated dermatomes (areas of skin that are connected to a single spinal nerve) and small localized areas due to injury, radiation, or surgical incision.
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