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Feel Tired After Minimum Physical Activity, Sweaty, Tired. Have Hyperhidrosis Since Childhood

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Posted on Thu, 13 Sep 2012
Question: I feel very tired after a little physical activity (even a walk of 1km), feel very very sweaty (whole body) during the activity and very tired after that (eyes droopy too). Have also been suffering from hyperhydrosis since childhood.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
9Hi welcome to healthcare magic, I am sorry that you feel unwell

Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors including: (1) inadequate sleep. Recent studies done in the US indicate that an adult should actual have between 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night. Inadequate sleep is linked to fatigue diabetes,depression , heart disease and increased weight
(2) Depression- two of the criteria to diagnose depression include sleep disturbance ( some persons may actually sleep too much) and fatigue. The diagnosis, however, also requires depressed mood and/or loss of interest in activities to be present.
(3) anemia- Our red blood cells have a protein (hemoglobin) that is responsible for transporting oxygen to different parts of the body. In anemia there is reduction in red cell mass and therefore reduced transport of oxygen. As a result a person can experience fatigue, it can also be associated with shortness of breath. There are different types and causes of anemia and diagnosis requires blood tests first to determine whether the person is anemic , then to figure out which type of anemia is present.
Treatment depends on the cause
(4) low thyroid hormone can also be associated with fatigue and weight gain. It requires a blood test for diagnosis and if present thyroid replacement is given.
(5) there are some medications that can cause fatigue, amlodipine can cause fatigue in a small percentage of persons. You should discuss this with your doctor
(6)kidney or liver diseases if severe can cause fatigue. Grade 1 fatty liver should not in most persons cause fatigue unless it is progressing. Kidney disease is diagnosed by blood and urine tests
(7) Because the heart is responsible for pumping blood to the body, heart disease may also cause fatigue, there would usually be other symptoms of heart disease such as chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath
(8) metabolic conditions such as diabetes

You should consider visiting your doctor for a full check up, he or she will take the history to see if a specific cause can be demonstrated, the examination would likely be general and the investigations would depend on the results of the above.

In terms of the droopy eyes this may occur as a result of the fatigue. Other possible causes include aging, disease of the muscles of the eyes, there are also some conditions that can affect the nerves supplying the muscles to the eyes.Again you would need to see your doctor to determine if related to the fatigue or otherwise.

In terms of the excess sweating there are medications that can be used by these are generally associated with limited effectiveness. There is also a surgical option that can be considered

I hope this information helps and I hope you feel better soon, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (2 hours later)
Thank you for the answer. To rule out the possibilities suggested by you and zoom on to one I add the following information -
(a) I have adequate sleep (about 6-7 hrs min daily).
(b) No significant cause of worry /depression
(c) No anemia (Blood tests verify the same; Iron 92 (against 59-158), TIBC 319 (against 225-535), Transferrin Saturation 29 (against 13-45))
(d) Possible Low Thyroid Hormone is Negated view T3 value 107 (against 60-200), T4 8.8 (against 4.5 - 12), TSH 2.56 (against 0.3 - 5.5).
(e) The symptoms had persisted when I had taken other Hypertensives before Amlodipine which includes blockers
(f) Kidney Disease - Negated view Creatinine Serum 0.95 (against 0.6-1.1), BUN 16.2 (against 9-23), BUN/Sr Creatinine Ratio 17.5 (against 9:1 - 23:1), Uric Acid 6.6 (against 3.6-8.2), calcium 9.98 (against 8.4 - 10.6).
(g). Liver Disease - Fatty Liver Grade I detected, Cholestrol is 203 view triglycerides 337, Bilirubin direct 0.12 (against 0 - 0.3), Bilirubin total 0.39 (against 0 - 1.2), Bilirubin indirect 0.27 (against 0 - 0.9), SGOT 69.9 (against 0- 37), SGPT 139 (against 0 - 37), Alkaline phosphatase 127.4 (against 53-128), GGT 52.8 (against 0 - 50), Protein total 8.36 (against 6 - 8.3), Albumin serum 4.8 (against 3.2 - 5.0),Serum albumin/Globulin ratio 1.35 (against 0.9 - 2.0) . To bring down the cholestrol levels have started Omega3 since many months.
(h) Had always suspected heart disease because during childhood I used to get an intense pain with throbbing palpitation near the heart during running. However repeated ECG's and X-rays have revealed that my heart is working okey.
(j) Diabetes - HBA1C is 5.6 (against normal value of under 6%, ABG is 100 (against 90-120mg/dl for excellent control), blood sugar fasting 82 (against 70-110 mg/dl).
(k) Urinary glocose, urinary bilirubin, urinary ketone, uring blood, nitrite & urinary leococytes are all negative. Urine Specific gravity is 1.02 (against 1.003 - 1.03), PH is 5.5 (against 5-8), Urobilinogen is 0.2 (against <=0.2)
(l) Have explored the option of surgical intervention for hyperhydrosis. However have ruled that out as its messy, not guaranteed and can cause other complications. What needs to be figured out is why I sweat such a lot, especially when i eat and do even a little physical activity leading to my clothes being drenched. My mouth gets dry if I dont get a constant supply of water all through.

I am also said to be snoring at times during sleep. Have started XXXXXXX Neti (saline irrigation through nose) to reduce the same.

Having provided the above, hope it helps in further suggestions and diagnosis.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (8 hours later)
Hi, thanks for the additional information

You mentioned that you were on a beta blocker before, fatigue is also a side effect of this medication because it tends to slow the body down.

If you are losing excess fluid via your skin (the excess sweating) then you would experience increased thirst as your body attempts to regain that fluid this is why your mouth would be dry if you don't have a constant supply of water.

Hyperhidrosis may be generalised or localised.
Hyperhidrosis may be classified as primary (no illness is identified as causing it ) or secondary. Secondary hyperhidrosis develops as a result of autonomic dysfunction (autonomic nervous system is one of the sets of nerves in the body), due to problems with other nerves such as injury to the peripheral nerves( nerves not in the brain or spinal cord)nmetabolic or endocrine illness, fever, respiratory disease , parkinsons or malignancy . In some persons with hyperhidrosis inheritance plays a part.

A person is classified as having primary hyperhidrosis (no cause is known)if: the person has excess sweating of 6 months or more plus at least 4 of the following (1)condition started before age 25,(2) mostly involves the axilla,palms ,soles, face and head (3)on both sides of the body and symmetrical (4) absent at night (5) episodes occur at least weekly (6) absent at night (7) impairs activities (8) present in family member
There is a condition called gustatory sweating or gustatory hyperhidrosis which is excess sweating that can occur with the ingestion of food.It is a localised form of hyperhidrosis and is associated with Frey syndrome (usually related to injury to one of the nerves in the face), disease of the parotid gland (one of the glands in the face that is also responsible for saliva production) and syringomelia ( development of a fluid filled cavity in the spinal cord).

The workup for hyperhidrosis if it is generalised include some of the tests you've had already plus testing the urine for catecholamines (substances released by the body which can affect the nervous system) which will identify a particular type of tumor, uric acid screen for gout and screening for TB.
Your doctor can consider screening for these and also for the conditions associated with gustatory sweating.

Snoring can be benign, occuring as a result of nasal congestion, excess fatigue, medications that suppress the central nervous system (brain) or abnormal sleep positions. Treatment includes weight reduction if there is excess weight, reducing alcohol intake if it is used, changing sleep position or the use of an oral device which will keep the airway open and reduce snoring.
In anyone who has snoring, hypertension and daytime sleepiness, should be further evaluated to determine if the snoring is related to obstructive sleep apnoea- the airway closes or is obstructed during sleep. It usually requires evaluation by a sleep specialist.

I hope this helps and I hope that you find the answers you are looking for. Feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Feel Tired After Minimum Physical Activity, Sweaty, Tired. Have Hyperhidrosis Since Childhood

9Hi welcome to healthcare magic, I am sorry that you feel unwell

Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors including: (1) inadequate sleep. Recent studies done in the US indicate that an adult should actual have between 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night. Inadequate sleep is linked to fatigue diabetes,depression , heart disease and increased weight
(2) Depression- two of the criteria to diagnose depression include sleep disturbance ( some persons may actually sleep too much) and fatigue. The diagnosis, however, also requires depressed mood and/or loss of interest in activities to be present.
(3) anemia- Our red blood cells have a protein (hemoglobin) that is responsible for transporting oxygen to different parts of the body. In anemia there is reduction in red cell mass and therefore reduced transport of oxygen. As a result a person can experience fatigue, it can also be associated with shortness of breath. There are different types and causes of anemia and diagnosis requires blood tests first to determine whether the person is anemic , then to figure out which type of anemia is present.
Treatment depends on the cause
(4) low thyroid hormone can also be associated with fatigue and weight gain. It requires a blood test for diagnosis and if present thyroid replacement is given.
(5) there are some medications that can cause fatigue, amlodipine can cause fatigue in a small percentage of persons. You should discuss this with your doctor
(6)kidney or liver diseases if severe can cause fatigue. Grade 1 fatty liver should not in most persons cause fatigue unless it is progressing. Kidney disease is diagnosed by blood and urine tests
(7) Because the heart is responsible for pumping blood to the body, heart disease may also cause fatigue, there would usually be other symptoms of heart disease such as chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath
(8) metabolic conditions such as diabetes

You should consider visiting your doctor for a full check up, he or she will take the history to see if a specific cause can be demonstrated, the examination would likely be general and the investigations would depend on the results of the above.

In terms of the droopy eyes this may occur as a result of the fatigue. Other possible causes include aging, disease of the muscles of the eyes, there are also some conditions that can affect the nerves supplying the muscles to the eyes.Again you would need to see your doctor to determine if related to the fatigue or otherwise.

In terms of the excess sweating there are medications that can be used by these are generally associated with limited effectiveness. There is also a surgical option that can be considered

I hope this information helps and I hope you feel better soon, feel free to ask any other questions