RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Hyperhidrosis or excessive sudoresis is a chronic disease associated with important subjective distress. OBJECTIVE: To propose a specific questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life of patients with hyperhidrosis. METHODS: From October 1995 to March 2002, 378 patients (234 females), with a mean age of 26.8 years, were evaluated before and after video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy. RESULTS: Therapeutic success was obtained in 90 percent of the procedures. The recurrence rate was 10 percent for palmar and 11 percent for axillary hyperhidrosis; 27 percent of the patients who had recurrence were re-operated successfully. No serious complications were reported. Of the total number of patients, 91 percent answered to the quality of life questionnaire, and 86 percent of them reported improvement after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic sympathectomy is a therapeutic method capable of changing the quality of life of patients with hyperhidrosis. The questionnaire applied has shown these changes.