The relation between age and outcomes of thoracic sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis: The older the better

Abstract

Objective: Several factors may potentially influence the efficacy and patient satisfaction after bilateral thoracic sympathectomy as the treatment for hyperhidrosis, but few studies have specifically analyzed the impact of age on the efficacy of this treatment, the occurrence of compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH), and variations in the quality of life. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the effect of age, body mass index, surgical techniques, quality of life before surgery, betterment in the quality of life after surgery, clinical improvement in sweating at the main site, and the occurrence and intensity of CH in patients with hyperhidrosis (n = 1633) who underwent bilateral sympathectomy. Results: Quality of life improved in more than 90% of patients, and severe CH occurred in 5.4%. Age did not affect these outcomes. The older, the greater reduction in sweating, and CH was linked to other variables (body mass index, craniofacial hyperhidrosis, and level of resection). Conclusions: We observed that patients with old age reported an improvement in sweating in the main site of hyperhidrosis. Sympathectomy outcomes in older patients are similar to those observed in younger patients in terms of quality of life improvement and occurrence of CH.