Hypersecretion is an excessive secretion of a substance made by the body. When broken down into its component parts, the word literally means “too much secretion.” There are a number of reasons why someone might experience hypersecretion, some of which are causes for concern. Others are relatively normal and no medical treatment or intervention is required when they occur.
Hormones are a substance which can commonly be hypersecreted, usually as a result of an ongoing medical issue. Some conditions characterized by hormone hypersecretion are known by the hormone or gland involved, as in hyperpituitarism, hypergonadism, and hyperaldosteronism. People can produce too many hormones because of an endocrine imbalance, damage to the gland, or an attempt to cope with a disease.
When hormones are secreted in excess, people often develop physical and sometimes emotional symptoms. Hormones act like messengers inside the body and when there are too many messengers, the body can put on or lose weight, develop excessive body hair, start to retain water, and develop other symptoms. A hormone hypersecretion can be diagnosed with a blood test to check hormone levels, and with study of the gland involved. Treatments can include removal of the gland, drugs to suppress hormone, or medications to treat a condition which is impacting the endocrine system.
Another common area of hypersecretion is the eye. The eye produces a lubricating fluid which can be produced in excess when people are upset, leading to tears. Tears are not harmful or a cause for worry, although they can cause blurry vision, and sometimes the eye can feel irritated if someone cries for a prolonged period of time. Other glands in the head which produce saliva may also hypersecrete in response to stimuli or as the result of disease, and, likewise, some people sweat excessively when they are stressed or coping with disease.
Sometimes people sweat, cry, or salivate so excessively that they start to feel uncomfortable in social situations or experience other problems. In these cases, a doctor may recommend treatment such as severing some of the nerves in the area to reduce the secretions and bring them down to a more manageable level. However, this is only recommended in extreme cases because there can be complications. Hyperhydrosis, the production of too much sweat, is a hypersecretion syndrome for which surgery is sometimes recommended. Before undergoing surgery, patients should make sure that they understand the risks, and they should ask the surgeon about his or her experience with the surgery.
