Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Peter B. Licht, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
- Second opponent: Professor Alexander Wahba, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Kirsti Aas, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Associate Professor Knut Magne Augestad, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Emeritus Jarlis Wesche, University of Oslo
Summary
This thesis examines how our body’s sweat response, heart rate, and blood flow change in different situations and how these responses can help in medical treatments.
Study I shows that in healthy subjects, sweating in the palms (called electrodermal activity or EDA) increases rapidly during mild physical and mental challenges, such as when they change positions or face stressful tasks. These increases in sweating are closely linked to changes in heart rate and blood pressure. The study also found that these patterns of sweating are very consistent, making them useful for studying conditions like hyperhidrosis, which causes excessive sweating.
Study II investigates how nerve blocks, used to relieve pain during surgeries, are more effective when adrenaline is added. This results in better and longer-lasting pain relief without significantly affecting the heart rate or blood pressure. The study also showed that blood flow in the hands changes differently depending on the type of skin, which could help improve the administration of nerve blocks in certain surgeries.
Study III focuses on patients with hyperhidrosis before and after a surgery called endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy (ETS). Before surgery, these patients had much higher sweat responses in their palms than healthy subjects. After the surgery, their palm sweating was almost completely abolished, but some of it returned after six months. This study suggests that measuring sweat responses could help doctors better understand and treat people with hyperhidrosis.
These studies provide important insights into how sweat and blood flow respond to various challenges and treatments. This information can be used to improve medical care, especially for individuals with conditions like hyperhidrosis or those requiring specific pain-relieving treatments.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.