Hemihyperhidrosis refers to excessive sweating on one side of the body. This condition is known to occur in some patients who have experienced a stroke. A stroke is a burst artery (a type of blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart) or a blockage of an artery in the brain. Strokes in an area of the lower part of the brain known as the medulla have been associated with increased sweating on the side of the body that is opposite of the side that the stroke occurred in the brain.

Specifically, damage to the sympathetic nervous system pathways that run through the side of the medulla are thought to lead to hemihyperhidrosis. The sympathetic nervous system is a network in the body that generally excites it by doing things such as increasing both the heart rate, blood pressure, and perspiration (sweating). Strokes in another area of the brain called the hypothalamus have also been associated with hemihyperhidrosis. The hypothalamus is an area in brain that is important for many bodily functions such as sleep, appetite, and temperature control. Hemihyperhidrosis comes from the Greek word "hemi" meaning "half," the Greek word "hyper" meaning "above," and the Greek word "hidrosis" meaning "sweating."

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