DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son had a vasectomy several years ago. Since then, and especially recently, he experiences body sweats. He is 49. The sweating is so bad that he drips with it, almost constantly. Could this have been caused by his vasectomy and a decrease of male hormone? His doctor has not taken this seriously. Will you please give us some answers? — L.W.

ANSWER: First off, your son’s vasectomy has nothing to do with his sweating. A vasectomy doesn’t alter a man’s production of male hormone. Neither does it affect his production of sperm. What it does is make it impossible for sperm to enter the seminal fluid. The tubule through which sperm pass to reach the seminal fluid has been cut. That tubule is the vas — the “vas” of “vasectomy.”

Am I correct in thinking your son’s sweating is sweating all over his body? That’s a much more troublesome problem than is sweating from the palms, the soles, under the arms or the head and face. A number of treatments exist for localized sweating. Generalized sweating has few remedies.

He must make sure he has no underlying condition that promotes sweating. Diabetes, hidden infections, an overactive thyroid gland, gout and some cancers have to be considered. It’s true that these maladies have symptoms in addition to sweating, but they still have to be given at least a cursory glance.

Your son might benefit from drugs called anticholinergics (ANT-ee-KOE-lynn-URGE-iks). Acetylcholine is the chemical messenger that turns sweat glands to the “on” position. Anticholinergics turn the glands to the “off” position. The trouble is that these drugs have side effects that can be as pesky as excessive sweating. Giving them a try is worth it. One such drug is glycopyrrolate (Robinul and Robinul Forte). A prescription is required.

I welcome suggestions from doctors and readers. This is a problem for which I cannot find much information.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been on Coumadin for five years. Last June, after a blood test, I was found to be very anemic and received three blood transfusions. I then took iron tablets.

To this date, I do not know what caused the anemia. Can you tell me? — G.M.

ANSWER: Anemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells, the cells that bring oxygen from the lungs to the entire body. Fatigue and shortness of breath on slight exertion are signs of anemia. Bleeding is a major cause of anemia, and the bleeding can go unnoticed if it comes from the digestive tract. Bleeding is often a complication of the blood thinner Coumadin. Anemia also can come from a destruction of red blood cells within blood vessels, because of an attack on those cells by the immune system. Bone marrow makes blood cells. Failure of bone marrow leads to an anemia. A deficiency of vitamin B-12, folic acid (another B vitamin) or iron can bring about an anemia. Most of these conditions can be diagnosed with lab tests. Tracking down the source of digestive-tract bleeding entails examining the tract with a scope.

I can’t give you a specific answer to the cause of your bleeding. Your doctor is the one who can provide you with it. However, there are instances when no cause can be found.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I never heard of hypercalcemia. What causes it? — L.R.

ANSWER: Hypercalcemia is a high blood calcium level. If the level is just a bit over the normal limit, a person might have no symptoms. If it’s very high, it can lead to ulcers, kidney stones, nausea, constipation, frequent urination, a slow heartbeat, mental fogginess, lethargy and even coma.

Overactive parathyroid glands are one cause. Those glands — behind the thyroid gland in the neck — regulate the body’s calcium. Too great a production of their hormone raises blood calcium. Excessive doses of vitamin D can do the same. Bone tumors elevate blood calcium. An uncommon illness called sarcoidosis is another cause of elevated blood calcium.

Treatment requires finding the cause and eliminating it.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.