UCLA Researchers Seek Family Members With 'Sweaty Palms' Syndrome for Genetic Study

Main Category: Genetics
Also Included In: Dermatology
Article Date: 03 Feb 2005 - 0:00 PDT


UCLA researchers seek family members with "sweaty palms" syndrome for a genetic study to pinpoint the genes that cause the inherited disorder, which may help lead to new and more effective treatments.

"Excessively sweaty palms and underarms are often more than just stress-related, and can be a debilitating disorder that can truly affect one's work and life," according to Dr. Samuel Ahn, principal investigator and professor, Division of Vascular Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"A growing body of research demonstrates that this syndrome, called hyperhidrosis, is actually inherited," Ahn said. "This study will help us better locate and identify which regions of chromosomes have the genes involved in the disorder."

Ahn adds that hyperhidrosis may be underreported and may affect up to 5 percent of the population.

To participate in the study, volunteers must be adults or children who have hyperhidrosis and/or a family member with or without the condition. Volunteers do not have to be local. The study involves completing a 30-minute questionnaire/history, which can be completed over the phone, as well as sending in a mouth cell sample obtained through swishing around a commercial mouthwash and spitting into a sterile tube. Some volunteers may require a small blood draw that can be done at UCLA or a nearby facility, or a UCLA medical assistant can come to the volunteer's home to draw the sample.

The study is funded by the California Vascular Research Foundation.

For more information about the study, please call (310) 825-8084 or visit the Web site at sweathelp.org.

Contact: Rachel Champeau ( rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu )
Phone: 310-794-2270

924 Westwood Blvd., Ste. 350
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone 310-794-0777
Fax 310-794-2259
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

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