Population-based analysis of the epidemiology of the surgical correction of hyperhidrosis in 1,216 patients over 11 years: a cross-sectional study

Abstract BACKGROUND: Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is the definitive surgical treatment for hyperhidrosis and a nationwide study has suggested that cultural and socioeconomic factors play a role in the numbers of operations performed. Thus, there is a need to evaluate local data in order to understand the local epidemiology and trends in hyperhidrosis treatment. OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology of sympathectomy for treating hyperhidrosis in São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data on sympathectomies for treating hyperhidrosis between 2008 and 2018 were assessed from the database of the Municipal Health Department of São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: 65.29% of the patients were female, 66.2% were aged between 20 and 39 years and 37.59% had registered with addresses outside São Paulo. 1,216 procedures were performed in the city of São Paulo from 2008 to 2018, and 78.45% of them were in only two public hospitals. The number of procedures significantly declined over the years (P = 0.001). 71.63% of the procedures were associated with 2-3 days of hospital stay, only 78 intensive care unit days were billed and we did not observe any intra-hospital death. CONCLUSION: The profile of patients operated on in São Paulo (young women) is similar to that described in other populations. Sympathectomy is a very safe procedure, with no mortality in our series. There was a decreasing trend in the number of surgeries over the years.

Cohort study on 20 years' experience of bilateral video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy (VATS) for treatment of hyperhidrosis in 2431 patients

Abstract BACKGROUND: Primary hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by excessive sweating, inconsistent with the needs for thermoregulation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and the change in the quality of life of patients undergoing bilateral VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy) for treatment of hyperhidrosis, in a large case series. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cohort study conducted in a tertiary hospital specializing in hyperhidrosis located in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: A total of 2,431 patients who underwent surgery consisting of bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy between January 2000 and February 2017 were retrospectively assessed in an outpatient clinic specializing in hyperhidrosis. The patients underwent clinical and quality of life assessments on two occasions: firstly, prior to surgery, and subsequently, one month after the operation. The presence or absence of compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) and general satisfaction after the first postoperative month were also evaluated. RESULTS: All the patients operated had poor or very poor quality of life before surgery. In the postoperative period, an improvement in the quality of life was observed in more than 90% of the patients. Only 10.7% of the patients did not present CH, and severe CH occurred in 22.1% of the patients in this sample. CONCLUSION: Bilateral VATS is a therapeutic method that decreases the degree of sweating more than 90% of patients with palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. It improves the quality of life for more than 90% of the patients, at the expense of development of CH in approximately 90% of the patients, but not intensely.