Thursday, April 17, 2008

Can Sympathectomy for Hyperhidrosis be classified as "cure" of hyperhidrosis

Sympathectomy in the case of (for example) Palmar HH exchanges a benign (although understandably uncomfortable condition) for an often disabling, uncontrollable (and more distressing than the original condition) full body sweating, that in some cases requires full clothes change 3 times a day. Patients after the surgery are unable to continue their life as they lived it before the operation. The psychological costs are high, and there have been reported suicides among patients who were struggling with the side-effects. The most recent one in Sydney, Australia.
Which part of this surgery can be called 'treatment' or 'cure'? What is the definition of a 'cure''?