Open clinical trial for evaluation of efficacy and safety of a portable "dry-type" iontophoretic device in treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis

Treatment of Hyperhidrosis: An Update

Hyperhidrosis is a dermatosis presenting as pathologically excessive focal or generalized sweating. The stigmatizing nature of hyperhidrosis may cause patients to feel embarrassment and apprehension about their symptoms and experience a significant decrease in well-being. Severe cases of hyperhidrosis can also increase the risk of developing psychiatric and somatic comorbidities. Conventional non-surgical treatments of hyperhidrosis include aluminum salts, iontophoresis, botulinum toxin injections, and oral glycopyrronium. In recent years, new topical anticholinergic medications and devices have emerged that may improve the patients' symptoms and even prevent the development of comorbidities. The treatment of hyperhidrosis can be a complex matter and may require the combination of several therapies. The purpose of this paper was to firstly review the literature on existing non-surgical treatment options for hyperhidrosis, and secondly provide a stepwise approach to investigating and treating patients with hyperhidrosis.

THE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF HYPERHIDROSIS

INTRODUCTION

Idiopathichyperhidrosis is a dysfunctional disorder involving eccrine sweat glands and its impact on patients' daily quality of life is well-known. Unlike some years ago, when only poor effective and safe therapeutic alternatives were available, nowadays, several emerging pharmacological active substances have gained significant space as treatment options.

AREAS COVERED

The authors report on, in this narrative review, the emerging data from the literature focusing on the pharmacological treatments to draw up a drug treatments flow-chart for patients with idiopathic hyperhidrosis, taking into consideration specific differences among axillary, palmoplantar and craniofacial hyperhidrosis.

EXPERT OPINION

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis, regardless of the site of involvement, remains a functional disorder that places a significant burden on patients. After balancing efficacy against adverse events, systemic therapy, although off-label for all forms of hyperhidrosis can represent an additive therapeutic option for patients with insufficient response to topical treatment according to a step wise therapeutic approach. Until the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying hyperhidrosis are clear, and the etiological therapeutic approach become realistic, the greatest challenge in the therapeutic management of hyperhidrotic patients seems to be the search for the most convenient combination between different therapeutic modalities (topical and systemic agents, and botulinum toxins) to achieve long-term control of the disease symptoms.

Hyperhidrosis of the residual limb: a narrative review of the measurement and treatment of excess perspiration affecting individuals with amputation

BACKGROUND

Hyperhidrosis (HH) is a relatively common disorder involving excessive sweating, typically of the palms or axilla. HH can also frequently occur after limb amputation, where the remaining residual limb excessively perspires, leading to an increased risk of dermatological disorders and functional limitations, such as the inability to comfortably or safely wear a prosthesis. Although many treatments have been proposed to treat HH within the dermatology community, they are not widely known by healthcare providers typically involved in caring for individuals with acquired limb loss.

OBJECTIVES

To appraise the current state of quantitative and qualitative assessment of HH within the residual limb and examine existing and future treatment strategies for this problem.

STUDY DESIGN

Narrative Literature Review.

METHODS

A literature review focused on the assessment and treatment of excessive sweating of residual limbs.

RESULTS

There is currently no objective or subjective standard to assess or diagnose HH of the residual limb. Conventional therapies for HH do not always translate to the population of individuals with limb loss. Emerging modalities for treating HH show promise toward a permanent resolution of excess perspiration but require additional studies within people with amputation.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed to quantify standard values to objectively and subjectively assess and diagnose hyperhidrosis of the residual limb. New and developing treatments for hyperhidrosis require additional studies to assess efficacy and safety in the residual limb.

Treatment of Axillary hyperhidrosis

BACKGROUND

Axillary hyperhidrosis characterized by excessive sweating in the axillary regions is a frustrating chronic autonomic disorder leading to social embarrassment, impaired quality of life and usually associated with palmoplantar hyperhidrosis. Identifying the condition and its cause is central to the management.

AIM

The aim of this article is to discuss treatment options for axillary hyperhidrosis.

METHODS

Comprehensive literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar was performed to review relevant published articles related to diagnosis and treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis.

RESULTS

Treatment modalities for axillary hyperhydrosis vary from topical and systemic agents to injectables, newer devices and surgical measures. None except for physical measures using devices or surgery, which destroys the sweat glands to remove them, is possibly permanent and most are associated with attendant side effects.

CONCLUSION

Several treatments including medical and surgical option are available for the treatment of axillary hyperhydrosis. Patient education is important component of its management. Individualized approach of management is necessary for optimal outcome of treatment.

A systematic evidence-based review of treatments for primary hyperhidrosis

Objective

Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) is associated with significant quality-of-life burden yet is often undertreated. With limited FDA-approved treatments, health care providers must determine optimal treatment among approved and off-label options. Key objectives of this review were to reassess, update, and expand a previous systematic review of commonly used treatment options for primary hyperhidrosis, including consideration of aluminum and zirconium compounds.

Methods

We performed a qualitative systematic review of efficacy, health-related quality of life, satisfaction, and safety of interventions, replicating and expanding the strategy outlined in a previous systematic review, with the addition of studies utilizing a within-patient design. We performed a critical appraisal of identified studies to determine risk of bias (RoB) and strength of evidence (SOE).

Results

A total of 32 studies were eligible for critical appraisal. Only three studies - two clinical trials of glycopyrronium cloth (2.4%) and one trial of botulinum toxin A injections in axillary hyperhidrosis were rated as "low" RoB; both had SOE ratings of "moderate" for use in axillary hyperhidrosis - the highest rating included in this review.

Conclusions

Optimal treatment choice depends on several factors, including understanding the quality of evidence regarding each treatment's efficacy and safety (considerations of convenience and cost are beyond the scope of this review). In hyperhidrosis, as in other clinical conditions, treatment decisions should be patient centered. At this time, because of the quality of evidence, only imprecise estimates of effect are possible for hyperhidrosis treatments included in this review, and statements about comparative effectiveness are not possible.

Management Strategies Of Palmar Hyperhidrosis: Challenges And Solutions

Palmar hyperhidrosis is a potentially disabling condition for which management remains a therapeutic challenge. Given the significant impact on quality of life, various treatment options are available, ranging from topical agents and medical devices to systemic therapies and surgical interventions. Nonsurgical approaches, i.e. topical antiperspirants, botulinum toxin injections, iontophoresis, and systemic agents, are all supported by the current literature. Patients with mild-to-moderate disease can often benefit from topical therapies only. As disease severity progresses, systemic oral medication, such as anticholinergic drugs, usually becomes necessary. Last-line surgical approaches (sympathetic denervation) should be reserved for severe refractory cases. Recently, therapeutic strategies have been evolving with several new agents emerging as promising alternatives in clinical trials. In practice, however, each modality comes with its own benefits and risks. An individual therapeutic ladder is generally recommended, taking into account disease severity, benefit-to-risk profile, treatment cost, patient preference, and clinician expertise. This review will provide an update on current and emerging concepts of management for excessive hand sweating to help clinicians optimize therapeutic decision-making.

Interventions for hyperhidrosis in secondary care: a systematic review and value-of-information analysis

BACKGROUND

Hyperhidrosis is uncontrollable excessive sweating that occurs at rest, regardless of temperature. The symptoms of hyperhidrosis can significantly affect quality of life. The management of hyperhidrosis is uncertain and variable.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the expected value of undertaking additional research to determine the most effective interventions for the management of refractory primary hyperhidrosis in secondary care.

METHODS

A systematic review and economic model, including a value-of-information (VOI) analysis. Treatments to be prescribed by dermatologists and minor surgical treatments for hyperhidrosis of the hands, feet and axillae were reviewed; as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is incontestably an end-of-line treatment, it was not reviewed further. Fifteen databases (e.g. CENTRAL, PubMed and PsycINFO), conference proceedings and trial registers were searched from inception to July 2016. Systematic review methods were followed. Pairwise meta-analyses were conducted for comparisons between botulinum toxin (BTX) injections and placebo for axillary hyperhidrosis, but otherwise, owing to evidence limitations, data were synthesised narratively. A decision-analytic model assessed the cost-effectiveness and VOI of five treatments (iontophoresis, medication, BTX, curettage, ETS) in 64 different sequences for axillary hyperhidrosis only.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Fifty studies were included in the effectiveness review: 32 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 17 non-RCTs and one large prospective case series. Most studies were small, rated as having a high risk of bias and poorly reported. The interventions assessed in the review were iontophoresis, BTX, anticholinergic medications, curettage and newer energy-based technologies that damage the sweat gland (e.g. laser, microwave). There is moderate-quality evidence of a large statistically significant effect of BTX on axillary hyperhidrosis symptoms, compared with placebo. There was weak but consistent evidence for iontophoresis for palmar hyperhidrosis. Evidence for other interventions was of low or very low quality. For axillary hyperhidrosis cost-effectiveness results indicated that iontophoresis, BTX, medication, curettage and ETS was the most cost-effective sequence (probability 0.8), with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £9304 per quality-adjusted life-year. Uncertainty associated with study bias was not reflected in the economic results. Patients and clinicians attending an end-of-project workshop were satisfied with the sequence of treatments for axillary hyperhidrosis identified as being cost-effective. All patient advisors considered that the Hyperhidrosis Quality of Life Index was superior to other tools commonly used in hyperhidrosis research for assessing quality of life.

LIMITATIONS

The evidence for the clinical effectiveness and safety of second-line treatments for primary hyperhidrosis is limited. This meant that there was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions for most interventions assessed and the cost-effectiveness analysis was restricted to hyperhidrosis of the axilla.

FUTURE WORK

Based on anecdotal evidence and inference from evidence for the axillae, participants agreed that a trial of BTX (with anaesthesia) compared with iontophoresis for palmar hyperhidrosis would be most useful. The VOI analysis indicates that further research into the effectiveness of existing medications might be worthwhile, but it is unclear that such trials are of clinical importance. Research that established a robust estimate of the annual incidence of axillary hyperhidrosis in the UK population would reduce the uncertainty in future VOI analyses.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42015027803.

FUNDING

The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

The etiology, diagnosis, and management of hyperhidrosis: A comprehensive review: Therapeutic options

Hyperhidrosis (HH) is a chronic disorder of excess sweat production that may have a significant adverse effect on quality of life. A variety of treatment modalities currently exist to manage HH. Initial treatment includes lifestyle and behavioral recommendations. Antiperspirants are regarded as the first-line therapy for primary focal HH and can provide significant benefit. Iontophoresis is the primary remedy for palmar and plantar HH. Botulinum toxin injections are administered at the dermal-subcutaneous junction and serve as a safe and effective treatment option for focal HH. Oral systemic agents are reserved for treatment-resistant cases or for generalized HH. Energy-delivering devices such as lasers, ultrasound technology, microwave thermolysis, and fractional microneedle radiofrequency may also be utilized to reduce focal sweating. Surgery may be considered when more conservative treatments have failed. Local surgical techniques, particularly for axillary HH, include excision, curettage, liposuction, or a combination of these techniques. Sympathectomy is the treatment of last resort when conservative treatments are unsuccessful or intolerable, and after accepting secondary compensatory HH as a potential complication. A review of treatment modalities for HH and a sequenced approach are presented.

Interventional management of hyperhidrosis in secondary care: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Hyperhidrosis is uncontrollable excessive sweating, which occurs at rest, regardless of temperature. The symptoms of hyperhidrosis can significantly affect quality of life.

OBJECTIVES

To undertake a systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and safety of treatments available in secondary care for the management of primary hyperhidrosis.

METHODS

Fifteen databases (including trial registers) were searched to July 2016 to identify studies of secondary-care treatments for primary hyperhidrosis. For each intervention randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included where available; where RCT evidence was lacking, nonrandomized trials or large prospective case series were included. Outcomes of interest included disease severity, sweat rate, quality of life, patient satisfaction and adverse events. Trial quality was assessed using a modified version of the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results were pooled in pairwise meta-analyses where appropriate, otherwise a narrative synthesis was presented.

RESULTS

Fifty studies were included in the review: 32 RCTs, 17 nonrandomized trials and one case series. The studies varied in terms of population, intervention and methods of outcome assessment. Most studies were small, at high risk of bias and poorly reported. The interventions assessed were iontophoresis, botulinum toxin (BTX) injections, anticholinergic medications, curettage and newer energy-based technologies that damage the sweat gland.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence for the effectiveness and safety of treatments for primary hyperhidrosis is limited overall, and few firm conclusions can be drawn. However, there is moderate-quality evidence to support the use of BTX for axillary hyperhidrosis. A trial comparing BTX with iontophoresis for palmar hyperhidrosis is warranted.