Jonathan Kiev, MD, is an experienced thoracic surgeon in Kentucky. Affiliated with Saint Joseph Hospital - London, he has been practicing medicine for upwards of two decades. During that time, Jonathan Kiev, MD, has enjoyed several accolades and developed an interest in such conditions as hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis is characterized as excessive sweating. This type of sweating is abnormal and unrelated to exercise or heat. For some, the sweating is so severe that it soaks through their clothes or drips from their hands. As a result of this heavy sweating, those with hyperhidrosis experience a disruption to their normal activities and often feel social anxiety or embarrassment about their condition.

The most common type of hyperhidrosis is primary focal hyperhidrosis. With this type, the nerves controlling the sweat glands become overactive. Medical professionals have not linked this type of hyperhidrosis to any specific medical condition, though it does run in certain families.

Meanwhile, secondary hyperhidrosis refers to excessive sweating caused by another medical condition. While this type of hyperhidrosis is less common, it usually causes excessive sweating throughout the body, not just in one or two areas. Diabetes, heart attack, thyroid problems, and infections are all medical conditions that may result in hyperhidrosis.