Night sweats are episodes of perspiration so excessive that it soaks through nightclothes or bedding. They are a common and harmless symptom of women going through menopause. Night sweats in a male, or in a clearly pre-menopausal female, are more cause for concern, but usually do not indicate a serious medical problem. While some dangerous diseases cause night sweats, they are almost always accompanied by additional warning symptoms.
Occasional Night Sweats
Occasional night sweats often result by being too warm. They occur when a person is wearing too many bedclothes for the ambient temperature and usually as a result of a sudden increase. According to the article, Diagnosing Night Sweats, in the March 2003 issue of "American Family Physician," night sweats also can occur when people take drugs such as aspirin or Tylenol for fever right before going to bed. When the medications take effect, they cause profuse sweating as the body tries to lower the elevated temperature. Since the causes of occasional night sweats are not serious, they are only a cause for concern when they occur regularly over a period of weeks.
Medication Side Effects
The most common cause of regular night sweats are medication side effects. Drugs that can cause night sweats include drugs for depression and erectile dysfunction and diabetes. Nitrates also can be responsible. According to "Diagnosing Night Sweats," diabetes treatments cause night sweats as the result of hypoglycemia, so adjusting the dose or the dosing schedule can usually prevent the problem. Antidepressants usually cause night sweats early in the course of treatment, and the symptoms often subside with time or a dose adjustment.
Lymphoma and Leukemia
While many types of cancer can cause night sweats, the sweating is most closely associated with leukemia and lymphoma. These afflictions can occur at any age, depending upon the type, but according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," they are most common in patients under age 40. Night sweats associated with leukemia or lymphoma usually are accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, unintentional weight loss, malaise and fatigue.
HIV Infection
According to an article published in the Dec. 17, 1997 edition of "The Journal of the American Medical Association," the early stages of HIV infection frequently cause a viral syndrome consisting of fever, body aches, sore throat, fatigue and night sweats. This symptoms of this syndrome resemble infectious mononucleosis in many respects, and are often mistakenly attributed to that disease. The symptoms usually clear up after a few weeks, and the HIV infection enters a long asymptomatic phase. Patients at risk for HIV exposure should seek medical attention if they experience such a viral syndrome.
References
- "American Family Physician"; Diagnosing Night Sweats; Anthony Viera; March 2003
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Dennis L. Kasper; 2005
- JAMA; "Risk Factors and Clinical Presentation of Acute Primary HIV Infection in India"; R.C. Bollinger; Dec. 17, 1997
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