The Association Between Hyperhidrosis and Dementia: A Community-Based Research

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gan, Jinghuan^{a; 1} | Liu, Shuai^{b; 1} | Wang, Xiao-Dan^b | Hu, Wenzheng^a | Lv, Yang^c | Niu, Jianping^d | Meng, Xinling^e | Chen, Yongjie^f | Shi, Zhihong^b | Ji, Yong^{a; b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China | [b] Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular and of neurodegenerative diseases, Tianjin Dementia Institute, Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China | [c] Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Science, Chongqing, China | [d] Department of Neurology, the Second Hospital of Xiamen, Xiamen, China | [e] Department of Neurology, Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China | [f] Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Yong Ji, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, 119 Nansihuan West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular and of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tianjin Dementia Institute, Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, 300350, China. Tel.: +86 13612048681; E-mail: jiyongusa@126.com.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Background:Dementia and hyperhidrosis (HH) are common in the elderly while there is little research to investigate the association between them. Objective:To clarify a possible association between HH and dementia in population of adults ≥65 years old in China. Methods:A cross-sectional survey for elderly adults ≥65 years old was conducted from April to December 2019. A total of 5,958 participants were analyzed after two phases investigation. Goodness-of-fit tests (Pearson and deviance) were used to estimate the dispersion parameter and examine the adequacy of the models. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between HH and dementia. Results:The overall prevalence of all-cause dementia was 10.17%, that of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) was 1.41%, and HH was 14.97%. Prevalence rates of HH were higher in participants with dementia and DLB. There was a significant positive relationship between HH duration and MMSE score (r = 0.207, p < 0.001, Durbin-Watson test = 1.806). Participants with HH were 1.275 (95% CI: 1.015–1.601, p = 0.037) times to have dementia, and 3.616 (95% CI: 2.267–5.767, p < 0.001) times to suffer from DLB than those without HH. Pearson and deviance chi square tests did not indicate overdispersion (p > 0.05 in the logistic regression models). Conclusion:HH was common in the Chinese population ≥65 years old. It can increase the risk of dementia, particularly in DLB, in the elderly. It is important to improve the awareness of HH among dermatologists and neurologists.

Keywords: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, cognitive impairment, dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, hyperhidrosis

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210611

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 1657-1667, 2021