Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Editorials15 July 1993Multiple Chemical SensitivitiesAbba I. Terr, MDAbba I. Terr, MDStanford University Medical Center, Room S-021, Stanford, CA 94305.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-119-2-199307150-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Multiple chemical sensitivities has been proposed as a name of a new disease in which the affected patient has adverse reactions when exposed to numerous items encountered under ordinary, daily conditions. The items, referred to as chemicals, include organic solvents, pesticides, paints, new carpets, household detergents, new clothing, building construction materials, and many others. Reactions consist of subjective symptoms without accompanying physical signs or biochemical abnormalities. Patients have many and varied symptoms, but the ones they report most frequently include fatigue, malaise, headache, lack of concentration, memory loss, and spaciness. Many of these patients report similar intolerances to many foods ...References1. Cullen MR. The worker with multiple chemical hypersensitivities: an overview. Occup Med. 1987; 2:655-61. Google Scholar2. Randolph TG. Human Ecology and Susceptibility to the Chemical Environment. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C Thomas, Publisher; 1962. Google Scholar3. Levin AS, Byers VS. Environmental illness: a disorder of immune regulation. Occup Med. 1987; 2:669-81. Google Scholar4. Bell IR, Miller CS, Schwartz GE. An olfactory-limbic model of multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome: possible relationships to kindling and affective spectrum disorders. Biol Psychiatry. 1992; 32: 218-42. Google Scholar5. American College of Physicians. Clinical ecology. Ann Intern Med. 1989; 111:168-78. Google Scholar6. 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Diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting subclinical signs and symptoms of exposure to chemicals which bioaccumulate in human tissue. Proceedings of the National Conference on Hazardous Wastes and Environmental Emergencies, 14-16 May 1985:150-3. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Stanford University Medical Center, Room S-021, Stanford, CA 94305.Corresponding Author: Abba I. Terr, MD, Stanford University Medical Center, Room S-021, Stanford, CA 94305. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoImmunologic, Psychological, and Neuropsychological Factors in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Controlled Study Gregory E. Simon , William Daniell , Henry Stockbridge , Keith Claypoole , and Linda Rosenstock Metrics Cited byDiagnostic relevance of the determination of lymphocyte subpopulations in environmental medicineBedeutung der Bestimmung von Lymphozyten-Subpopulationen in der UmweltmedizinAssociations between chemical odor intolerance and sleep disturbances in community-living adultsPrestación de servicios sanitarios basada en la evidencia: hipersensibilidad química múltiple o intolerancia ambiental idiopáticaMultiple Chemical SensitivityEarly Life Stress, Negative Paternal Relationships, and Chemical Intolerance in Middle-Aged Women: Support for a Neural Sensitization ModelIncreased Cardiopulmonary Disease Risk in a Community-Based Sample With Chemical Odor Intolerance: Implications for Women's Health and Health-Care UtilizationDifferential Resting Quantitative Electroencephalographic Alpha Patterns in Women with Environmental Chemical Intolerance, Depressives, and NormalsTime-Dependent Sensitization of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure over Multiple Laboratory Sessions in Elderly Individuals with Chemical Odor IntoleranceA polysomnographic study of sleep disturbance in community elderly with self-reported environmental chemical odor intoleranceTime-dependent sensitization of plasma beta-endorphin in community elderly with self-reported environmental chemical odor intoleranceA preliminary investigation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and chronic fatigue syndromeMultiple chemical sensitivitiesTime-Dependent Sensitization in Animals: A Possible Model of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in HumansMultiple chemical sensitivity or multi-organ dysesthesia 15 July 1993Volume 119, Issue 2Page: 163-164KeywordsAnxietyBehaviorClinical trialsDetoxificationDietImmune systemPollutionPrimary care physiciansSafetySchizophrenia Issue Published: 15 July 1993 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1993 by American College of Physicians. 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