Danger is at hand if someone suddenly stops sweating in hot weather. That means the body is in shock, preserving water and going into possibly fatal heart stroke. Some people are born without working sweat glands. The condition, hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, is rare, inherited and incurable. It also produces dry skin, wrinkled skin, sparse dry hair, small brittle nails and cone-shaped teeth.
Reduced activity is the most common treatment.
Hyperhidrosis is a socially embarrassing disorder that causes people to sweat excessively, especially from the arms, feet and hands, even in normal conditions. The use of botulism toxin, or Botox, to paralyze the sweat gland is the most recent effective treatment, lasting up to six months, after which new nerve endings grow and the treatment must be repeated. From the Philadelphia Inquirer - Monday, August 2,1999.