Is Hyperhidrosis a Rare Condition?

Dear Sweaty Girl Society,

Is hyperhidrosis rare? I’ve never met anyone else with it, and I feel like I’m the only one. Help!

Hey Sweaty Girl,

You’re right in the sense that hyperhidrosis is rarely talked about.

It’s almost never represented in movies. It doesn’t receive much social media attention. And very few celebrities have spoken out about having hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis receives little medical funding. It’s underdiagnosed. And there are relatively few products and treatments that provide relief from excessive sweating.

Yet, when we look at prevalence rates for hyperhidrosis, it turns out that hyperhidrosis is not considered to a rare condition.

Why Hyperhidrosis Is Not Rare

Hyperhidrosis is more common than you’d think. The International Hyperhidrosis Society estimates there are 385 million people globally with hyperhidrosis.

Yes, you read that right. 385 million. That represents about 5% of the world’s population.

Since there’s no evidence to suggest that gender affects the risk of developing hyperhidrosis, we can safely assume that there are about 192.5 million women with hyperhidrosis worldwide.

In reality, hyperhidrosis may be even more common than that. Different studies have produced different results.

For instance, while research shows that the prevalence rate of hyperhidrosis in the US is 2.8-4.8%, one study measured that, in Japan, the prevalence rate of hyperhidrosis is 13.95%. And, another study concluded that the prevalence rate of hyperhidrosis in China is 18.4%.

This could mean numbers are significantly higher than we think, and there may be a link with race or ethnic background.

But even if we go with a safe estimate of 5% — equating to 385 million people worldwide — this still makes hyperhidrosis more common than many other medical conditions and disorders.

Hyperhidrosis is More Common Than We Think

It turns out that there are more people with hyperhidrosis than there are with many other well-known conditions.

For instance, hyperhidrosis is more common than:

Glaucoma (which has a prevalence rate of 3.4%)
Psoriasis (which has a prevalence rate of 2-3%)
Obsessive compulsive disorder (which has a prevalence rate of 2-3%)
Bulimia nervosa (which has a prevalence rate of 0.1-2.6%)
Autism spectrum disorder (which has a prevalence rate of 2.8%)

Even having a peanut allergy (2% prevalence rate) or being born with naturally blond hair (also a 2% prevalence rate) is more rare than having hyperhidrosis.

So, no Sweaty Girl, you’re not alone!

You’re not alone at all — even though it may feel that way.