Outcome measure
Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS)
The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale is a validated four-point patient-reported instrument used across major hyperhidrosis trials. HDSS is the consumer-facing severity scale that maps daily-life interference to a 1–4 score and is the most useful instrument for routing patients toward appropriate care.
- Type
- patient reported
- Scale
- 1 – 4
- Consumer-facing?
- Yes
- Primary use
- consumer self-assessment + clinical trial outcome
Scale points
- 1. My sweating is never noticeable and never interferes with my daily activities.
- 2. My sweating is tolerable but sometimes interferes with my daily activities.
- 3. My sweating is barely tolerable and frequently interferes with my daily activities.
- 4. My sweating is intolerable and always interferes with my daily activities.
The four answer choices
HDSS asks the patient to choose the single statement that best describes their sweating. The four canonical statements range from 'My sweating is never noticeable and never interferes with my daily activities' (score 1) to 'My sweating is intolerable and always interferes with my daily activities' (score 4). The intermediate options describe tolerable-but-sometimes-interfering (2) and barely-tolerable-frequently-interfering (3) patterns.
How it's used in trials
HDSS is a common screening criterion (e.g., requiring HDSS ≥3 for trial enrollment) and a secondary endpoint in many hyperhidrosis Phase 3 studies. The instrument's brevity and validity make it well-suited as a screening tool; for primary efficacy endpoints, longer instruments like the Axillary Sweating Daily Diary (ASDD) or HDSM-Ax-7 are more sensitive.
Validation
HDSS validity, reliability, and responsiveness were established in published validation studies. The scale tracks meaningfully with gravimetric sweat production, dermatology life-quality measures, and patient perceptions of treatment response.
Reading paths
·Related references
Read related evidence.
Treatments scored with this measure