The German Multicentre Study on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

Eis, Dieter; Helm, Dieter; Mühlinghaus, Tilman; Birkner, Norbert; Dietel, Anne; Eikmann, Thomas; Gieler, Uwe; Herr, Caroline; Lacour, Michael; Nowak, Dennis; Gil, Francisco; Podoll, Klaus; Renner, Bertold; Wiesmüller, Gerhard Andreas; Worm, Margitta

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2008.03.002

Cited by 46 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Relevant studies, thoroughly reviewed by Thomas et al , [43] have linked these conditions to exceptionally severe and prolonged intoxicating events, most notably multiple vaccinations, exposure to depleted uranium and powerful chemical toxicants present in war theatres. Other conditions connected to this polymorphic disorder are the post-traumatic stress disorder [44] and the burn-out syndrome [21], displaying similar impairment of the immunologic and neuro-endocrine patterns, and overlapping symptoms.…”

Section: Controversial Case Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of MCS, clinical interpretation may be further complicated by the presence of multiple gene classes, and by an elevated genetic heterogeneity of the patient population [112], suggesting that the analyzed variants in the genes examined are of less importance to MCS than possible gene-environment interactions or other still unknown determinants [44,67,112]. Among these latter factors, epigenetic modulation of gene expression, involving developmental and environmental pre-birth or post-birth multi-organ influences, promises to offer relevant clues for individualized medicine, in terms of pathogenesis but also of possible new drug development [115,116].…”

Section: State-of-the-art Of Diagnosis For Environmental Intolerancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Search for Reliable Biomarkers of Disease in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Other Environmental Intolerances

Luca

Raskovic

Pacifico

et al. 2011

IJERPH

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Whilst facing a worldwide fast increase of food and environmental allergies, the medical community is also confronted with another inhomogeneous group of environment-associated disabling conditions, including multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, electric hypersensitivity, amalgam disease and others. These share the features of poly-symptomatic multi-organ cutaneous and systemic manifestations, with postulated inherited/acquired impaired metabolism of chemical/physical/nutritional xenobiotics, triggering adverse reactions at exposure levels far below toxicologically-relevant values, often in the absence of clear-cut allergologic and/or immunologic involvement. Due to the lack of proven pathogenic mechanisms generating measurable disease biomarkers, these environmental hypersensitivities are generally ignored by sanitary and social systems, as psychogenic or “medically unexplained symptoms”. The uncontrolled application of diagnostic and treatment protocols not corresponding to acceptable levels of validation, safety, and clinical efficacy, to a steadily increasing number of patients demanding assistance, occurs in many countries in the absence of evidence-based guidelines. Here we revise available information supporting the organic nature of these clinical conditions. Following intense research on gene polymorphisms of phase I/II detoxification enzyme genes, so far statistically inconclusive, epigenetic and metabolic factors are under investigation, in particular free radical/antioxidant homeostasis disturbances. The finding of relevant alterations of catalase, glutathione-transferase and peroxidase detoxifying activities significantly correlating with clinical manifestations of MCS, has recently registered some progress towards the identification of reliable biomarkers of disease onset, progression, and treatment outcomes.

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Section: Controversial Case Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: State-of-the-art Of Diagnosis For Environmental Intolerancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Search for Reliable Biomarkers of Disease in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Other Environmental Intolerances

Luca

Raskovic

Pacifico

et al. 2011

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These have been called Bsomatization^and later Bsomatic symptoms and related disorders^ [26][27][28][29][30]. These patients may have a variety of syndromes, which have been termed Bfibromyalgia^, Bsystemic exertion intolerance disease^, Bpremenstrual dysphoric disorder^, Btemporomandibular joint disorder^, and Bidiopathic environmental intolerance^ [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Some of these patients with seemingly unexplained symptoms may eventually evolve to a diagnosable disorder, and some of these may be patients with diseases yet to be identified.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostic uncertainty and epistemologic humility

Kelly

Panush

2017

Clin Rheumatol

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“…This gender difference is consistently found for annoyance from ambient substances (e.g., Carlsson et al 2005;Johansson et al 2005), sick building syndrome (Stenberg and Wall 1995;Edvardsson et al 2008), idiopathic environmental intolerance to chemicals (Eis et al 2008; earlier referred to as multiple chemical sensitivity), and sensory hyperreactivity (Johansson et al 2006). It is important to distinguish between chemosensory sensitivity and intolerance resulting in health symptoms (e.g., respiratory symptoms and headache).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Gender Differences in Nasal Chemesthesis: A Study of Detection and Perceived Intensity

Claeson

Nordin

2011

Chem. Percept.

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Women are generally more intolerant than men to ambient substances, for which sensory irritation plays an important role. The aim of the present study was to compare women and men with respect to response bias and sensitivity in irritation detection and to irritation intensity. Twelve women and 12 men were exposed to six concentrations of amyl acetate generated by a dynamic olfactometer. Each concentration was presented eight times in randomized order. Clean-air presentations were interrandomized among the series of amyl acetate stimuli to assess and control for response bias. Ratings of irritation intensity were performed with a Borg CR-100 scale. No gender difference in overall irritation detection sensitivity was found, but a significantly steeper psychometric detection function for women implies keener detectability at relatively high concentrations and poorer detectability at low concentrations. A higher false-alarm rate and higher intensity ratings for blank stimuli for women compared to men did almost reach statistical significance. The data showed no overall gender difference in irritation intensity, but a less steep power function for irritation intensity for women, with relatively weak concentrations being perceived as stronger by women than by men. The results suggest no overall gender difference in irritation detectability, but a larger increase in detectability among women across the stimulus span. The tendency of gender differences in response bias implies differences in strategies when detecting possible health hazards. These strategies together with weak concentrations being perceived as stronger may contribute to women being more intolerant than men to ambient substances.

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The German Multicentre Study on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

Cited by 46 publications

References 41 publications

The Search for Reliable Biomarkers of Disease in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Other Environmental Intolerances

The Search for Reliable Biomarkers of Disease in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Other Environmental Intolerances

Diagnostic uncertainty and epistemologic humility

Gender Differences in Nasal Chemesthesis: A Study of Detection and Perceived Intensity

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