Cold Sweats

About the Symptom

Cold sweats occur when there is sweating despite the skin being cold, chilly, and clammy, regardless of the environment's temperature.

When to See a Doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Lower abdominal pain
• Palpitation
• Back pain
• Headache
• Peripheral cyanosis
• Unexplained weight loss of 5% or more in 1 month
• Recent weight loss
• Seizure attack
• Fainting with loss of consciousness
• Disorder of consciousness
• Chest tightness
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing / breathlessness
• Abdominal pain
• Menstrual abnormality (duration or volume)

Possible Causes

Generally, Cold sweats can be related to:

• Miscarriage

  A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy that is usually in the first or early second trimester (before 20 weeks). In an inevitable miscarriage, there may be symptoms of miscarriage such as bleeding and pain and the cervix will show signs of opening (dilation). The passage of the pregnancy tissue typically follows.

• Aortic Stenosis (AS)

  In aortic stenosis, the valve in a major blood artery branching off the heart (the aorta) is narrowed. This prevents the valve from fully opening and leads to decreased blood flow out of the heart. As a result, the heart has to work harder to get the same amount of blood out. Two things end up happening: the heart eventually starts to fail or you develop symptoms like chest pain, dizziness or feeling like you will pass out because not enough blood is getting to your brain. The main cause is the accumulation of calcium deposits in the valve which increases with age.

Related Serious Diseases

Sometimes, Cold sweats may be related to these serious diseases:

• Hypoglycemia

  Low blood sugar levels. This can be fatal as the brain depends on sugar for energy. It is usually caused by diabetes medications, but can also be caused by hormone disorders and insulin overproduction.

• Myocardial Infarction (MI) / Unstable Angina
• Ectopic Pregnancy
• Tension Pneumothorax
• Idiopathic Esophageal Rupture
• Vasovagal Reflex
• Heart Failure
• Aortic Dissection / Aortic Aneurysm Rupture

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Have you been experiencing cold sweats lately?
• When did you first notice a cold sweat?
• How often have you been experiencing cold sweats?
• How is your cold sweat now?

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