[csda] symptoms may be provoked only when exposed to chemicals says Japanese Research (fwd)

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Japanese Research

Symptom Profile of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Actual Life

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/2/318

Mariko Saito, MD, Hiroaki Kumano, MD, PhD, Kazuhiro Yoshiuchi, MD,

PhD, Naomi Kokubo, Kyoko Ohashi, PhD, Yoshiharu Yamamoto, PhD,

Naohide Shinohara, PhD, Yukio Yanagisawa, PhD, Kou Sakabe, MD, PhD,

Mikio Miyata, MD, PhD, Satoshi Ishikawa, MD, PhD and Tomifusa Kuboki,

MD, PhD

>From the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine (M.S., H.K., K.Y.,

T.K.), Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo,

Japan; the Educational Physiology Laboratory (N.K., K.O., Y.

Yamamoto), Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo,

Tokyo, Japan; the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (N.S., Y.

Yanagisawa), Institute of Environmental Studies, The University of

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; and the Environmental Medical Center (K.S.,

M.M., S.I.), The Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Hiroaki Kumano, MD,

PhD, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of

Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7–3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-

8655, Japan. E-mail: hikumano-tky@...

Objective: This study was conducted to confirm the definition of

multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) in actual life: that multiple

symptoms are provoked in multiple organs by exposure to, and

ameliorated by avoidance of, multiple chemicals at low levels. We

used the Ecological Momentary Assessment to monitor everyday symptoms

and the active sampling and passive sampling methods to measure

environmental chemical exposure.

Methods: Eighteen patients with MCS, diagnosed according to the 1999

consensus criteria, and 12 healthy controls participated in this

study. Fourteen patients and 12 controls underwent 1-week measurement

of physical and psychologic symptoms and of the levels of exposure to

various chemicals. Linear mixed models were used to test the

hypotheses regarding the symptom profile of MCS patients.

Results: Some causative chemicals were detected in 11 of 14 MCS

patients. Two other patients did not report any hypersensitivity

episodes, whereas passive sampling showed far less exposure to

chemicals than control subjects. Another subject reported episodic

symptoms but was excluded from the following analyses because no

possible chemical was detected. Eleven of the 17 physical symptoms

and all four mood subscales examined were significantly aggravated in

the interview based on " patient-initiated symptom prompts. " On the

other hand, there were no differences in physical symptoms or mood

subscales between MCS patients and control subjects in the interview

based on " random prompts. "

Conclusions: MCS patients do not have either somatic or psychologic

symptoms under chemical-free conditions, and symptoms may be provoked

only when exposed to chemicals.