Diseases of the Apocrine Sweat Glands

Abstract

Figure 29.1 demonstrates the apocrine sweat glands as well as the eccrine glands covered in the next chapter. The apocrine sweat glands develop as part of the system of hair and sebaceous and apocrine glands. They are common in the axilla, anogenital region, periumbilical region, and on the nipples, and are occasionally found on the head and trunk. The hormonal changes during puberty stimulate the apocrine glands, which increase in size and begin to function more actively. Thus, disorders of these glands usually become clinically apparent after this event. Apocrine glands are larger and more active in men than women as well as in blacks as compared to whites or Orientals. The apocrine glands develop with the hair germ in the fourth to fifth months of fetal life. In the embryo, they are present over the entire body but disappear before birth, except in the favored locations.