Persistent Night Sweats: Diagnostic Evaluation
Am Fam Physician. 2020 Oct 1;102(7):427-433.
Author disclosure: No relevant financial affiliations.
Night sweats are a nonspecific symptom that patients commonly experience but rarely discuss with their physicians without prompting. Although many life-threatening causes such as malignancies or infections have been described, most patients who report persistent night sweats in the primary care setting do not have a serious underlying disorder. Conditions commonly associated with night sweats include menopause, mood disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hyperthyroidism, and obesity. If a clinical diagnosis is apparent based on the initial history and physical examination, specific treatment for four to eight weeks may be offered. When the history and physical examination do not reveal a specific cause, physicians should proceed with a systematic and cost-conscious strategy that uses readily available laboratory and imaging studies, such as a complete blood count, tuberculosis testing, thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, HIV testing, C-reactive protein level, and chest radiography. Additional tests that could be considered selectively include computed tomography of the chest and/or abdomen, bone marrow biopsy, polysomnography, and/or additional laboratory studies if indicated. If these results are normal, and no additional disorders are suspected, reassurance and continued monitoring are recommended. The presence of night sweats alone does not indicate an increased risk of death.
Night sweats are a common experience, with a prevalence of up to 41% among primary care patients.1 The definition of night sweats varies and generally does not require that the symptom be bothersome to the patient.2 One definition suggested in a 2010 study was “sweating at night even when it is not excessively hot in your bedroom.”3 New evidence from the primary care setting has been published since the last American Family Physician review of this topic.4
WHAT'S NEW ON THIS TOPIC
Night Sweats
A systematic review found that the cross-sectional prevalence of night sweats ranges from 10% to 41% in the primary care setting, with the highest prevalence occurring in patients between 41 and 55 years of age.
In a study of school-aged children in China, 12% reported having weekly night sweats during the past year. When present, night sweats were associated with obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, anxiety, and respiratory and atopic symptoms.
A cohort study of 1,534 patients older than 65 years found that after seven years, patients who reported having night sweats were not more likely to die or to die earlier than patients who did not report them.
SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
| Clinical recommendation | Evidence rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
For patients without signs or symptoms and a specific clinical diagnosis, treat the assumed condition empirically for four to eight weeks and reevaluate symptoms.4,11 | C | Usual practice, case series, and expert opinion |
Identify patients at high risk of infection or malignancy by the presence of findings such as weight loss, objective fever, or lymphadenopathy.2,18 | C | Usual practice, case series, case reports, and expert opinion |
Reassure and clinically monitor patients who complete a basic evaluation and are unlikely to have a serious underlying cause of their night sweats.1–4 | C | Limited epidemiologic data, expert opinion, and usual practice |
A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort.
SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
| Clinical recommendation | Evidence rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
For patients without signs or symptoms and a specific clinical diagnosis, treat the assumed condition empirically for four to eight weeks and reevaluate symptoms.4,11 | C | Usual practice, case series, and expert opinion |
Identify patients at high risk of infection or malignancy by the presence of findings such as weight loss, objective fever, or lymphadenopathy.2,18 | C | Usual practice, case series, case reports, and expert opinion |
Reassure and clinically monitor patients who complete a basic evaluation and are unlikely to have a serious underlying cause of their night sweats.1–4 | C | Limited epidemiologic data, expert opinion, and usual practice |
A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort.
Epidemiology
In one study conducted in the primary care research setting,
References
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