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

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.


Contact: Rachel Champeau ( rchampeaumednet.ucla )

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