Although not specific, the symptoms suffered by diabetics from sweating disturbances are fairly typical [5]. Initially there is heat intolerance accompanied by hyperhidrosis of the upper half of the body, particularly affecting the face, neck, axillae and hands. It is of interest that these patients rarely perspire excessively below the umbilicus. This diabetic syndrome has been attributed to a lesion of the sympathetic nerve fibres which control sweat secretion [11] and follow the course of the peripheral nerves [12]. This affects the efferent branch of the reflex arch and is identical to that occurring distal to a surgical sympathectomy [13].
There was no difference found between the histological changes in the nerves of the spontaneous anhidrotic patients
(Fig. 1) and those of the two previously sympathectomized patients.
A number of papers have been published which stressed [22-24] the high failure rate of sympathectomy operations in diabetics. We believe that the failure of the operation is due to the fact that diabetic autonomic neuropathy has already sympathectomized the patient. The results of the present study are compatible with this idea.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/v21h52461037653k
