Epidemiology of Hyperhidrosis in Two Population-Based Healthcare Databases

Publication date: Available online 6 October 2017
Source:Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Author(s): Kristen Ricchetti-Masterson, J. Morel Symons, Molly Aldridge, Ayush Patel, Joe Maskell, John Logie, Yuji Yamaguchi, Suzanne F. Cook
BackgroundPopulation-based and clinical case reports of hyperhidrosis (HH) provide prevalence estimates that vary widely across reported studies due to differences in case ascertainment.ObjectiveIn this study, we specify diagnosis, symptom, and prescription codes for HH in order to estimate incidence and prevalence for the United Kingdom and the United States.MethodsData from U.K. and U.S. healthcare databases were analyzed to ascertain HH cases and estimate incidence and prevalence from healthcare records during calendar years 2011 through 2013.ResultsBased on 2013 data for the U.S. and U.K., between 1.0% and 1.6% of these populations have healthcare records indicating diagnosis or treatment of HH. Women accounted for approximately 60% of incident and prevalent cases in both databases.LimitationsSince the case ascertainment methods rely on available data for those seeking healthcare, we may have underestimated the number of HH cases in both countries.ConclusionFindings represent a plausible estimate for incidence and prevalence of HH among persons seeking medical care for excessive sweating. Improved practices for identifying HH in clinical settings may increase the sensitivity and specificity of future studies and improve characterization and quantification of the population burden of this significant disease.

Teaser

Hyperhidrosis has a range of reported prevalence estimates with the most often cited equal to 2.8%.We describe methods using a combination of diagnosis, symptom, and prescription codes from healthcare databases to ascertain hyperhidrosis cases.This study estimates population prevalences of 1% - 1.6% for patients seeking healthcare for hyperhidrosis.