Acute Hyperhidrosis: A Clue to Underlying Autonomic Dysfunction and a Rare Neurological Disorder.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Immunology
• Autonomic Nervous System

Background:

• Acute hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, is often benign but can indicate severe underlying conditions.
• Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, specifically sympathetic hyperactivity, can cause excessive sweating.

Observation:

• A patient presented with acute hyperhidrosis as the primary symptom.
• The excessive sweating was identified as a manifestation of autonomic dysfunction.

Findings:

• The patient's hyperhidrosis was a relapse of anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody encephalitis.
• This case expands the known clinical spectrum of anti-LGI-1 encephalitis.

Implications:

• Clinicians should consider autoimmune encephalitis in patients presenting with unexplained acute hyperhidrosis.
• This case underscores the importance of a broad differential diagnosis for seemingly nonspecific symptoms like excessive sweating.