By: Richard Bleuze
There are many different causes of night sweats. To determine what is causing night sweats in a particular individual, a doctor must obtain a detailed medical history and order tests to decide if an underlying medical condition is responsible for the night sweats. Some of the known conditions that can cause night sweats are:
- Menopause: The hot flashes that accompany the menopausal transition can occur at night and cause sweating. This is a very common cause of night sweats in perimenopausal women.
- Idiopathic Hyperthidrosis: Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body chronically produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause.
- Infections: Classically, tuberculosis is the infection most commonly associated with night sweats. However, bacterial infections, osteomyelitis (inflammation within the bones), and abscesses all may result in night sweats. Night sweats are also a symptom of the AIDS virus infection.
- Cancers: Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers. The most common type of cancer associated with night sweats is lymphoma. However, people who have an undiagnosed cancer frequently have other symptoms as well, such as unexplained weight loss and fevers.
- Medications: Taking certain medications can lead to night sweats. In cases without other physical symptoms or signs of tumor or infection, medications are often determined to be the cause of night sweats. Antidepressant medications are a common type of medication that can lead to night sweats. All types of antidepressants can cause night sweats as a side effect, with a range in incidence from 8 to 22% of persons taking antidepressant drugs. Medicines taken to lower feverer such as aspirin can sometimes lead to sweating. Other types of drugs can cause flushing, which, as mentioned above, may be confused with night sweats. Some of the many drugs that can cause flushing include:
- niacin
- tamoxifen
- hydralazine
- nitroglycerine
- Viagra
Many other drugs not mentioned above, including cortisone medications may also be associated with flushing or night sweats.
- Hypoglycemia: Sometimes low blood glucose can cause sweating. People who are taking insulin or oral anti-diabetic medications may experience hypoglycemia at night that is accompanied by sweating.
- Hormone disorders: Sweating or flushing can be seen with several hormone disorders.
- Neurologic conditions: Uncommonly, neurologic conditions including autonomic dysreflexia, post-traumatic syringomyelia, stroke, and autonomic neuropathy may cause increased sweating and possibly lead to night sweats.
