This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
Generalized Acquired Anhidrosis: Presented by Drs. Bernard Gordon, Howard Maibach, and William Epstein.
The patient is a 21-year-old white male. He is being presented to demonstrate the objective and subjective discomfort of a person who cannot sweat normally. He dates the onset of his symptoms to the age of 8 or 9, when warm weather or exertion resulted in a burning sensation of the hands and feet, followed by severe pain. The pain was alleviated by using cold wet towels and cool bathing of the extremities. On hot days the patient had to remain in the cool basement. The only medication providing significant relief was Demerol. He has noticed that pain in the hands and feet usually accompanies fever.There is no history of a similar condition in the family. The mother does not sweat easily but has no pain.A biopsy from the forearm showed that sweat glands were