 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2024) |
Idiopathic environmental intolerances (IEI) are medical syndromes with no proven cause, but which the affected people attribute to various environmental situations. [1] The most common forms are multiple chemical sensitivity (odors), electromagnetic hypersensitivity (electricity), and wind turbine syndrome (noise). [1]
Although the identified environmental factor differs, there are several qualities shared by all of these conditions. All of them are controversial, and none of them result from a scientifically proven pathogenesis and pathophysiology. [1]
There is a wide variety of symptoms, with no pattern associating particular exposures with particular symptoms. [1] Symptoms do not appear consistently after exposure in blinded experiments. [1] However, the expectancy-induced nocebo effect seems to produce symptoms when they believe they have been exposed, even if they have not been exposed to it. [1] That is, people generally do not feel bad when they believe they are safe, but they may learn to fear exposure to a particular substance or situation, if something unrelated but unpleasant happens at the same time. [1]
Evidence indicates that at least part of the distress has a psychological or behavioral component. [1] For example, people with IEIs are often hypervigilant about how their bodies feel. [1] One medical challenge relates to the mind–body problem, with people's experiences being dismissed as "all in their heads" and debates about whether it is a "real" or "physical" condition. [1]
It can be difficult to distinguish IEIs from other somatic symptom disorders and from poorly understood syndromes, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. [1]
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic condition involving non-specific physical and psychological symptoms that appear when the affected person has been exposed to "chemicals", or at least believes they have been exposed to. [1] Typical triggers include substances with strong or bad odors, such as vehicle exhaust, smoke, or cleaning products. [1] Symptoms often relate to the central nervous system (e.g., difficulty concentrating, feeling lightheaded), musculoskeletal system (e.g., pain), gastrointestinal system (e.g., indigestion), and skin (e.g., rash), but any organ system can be affected. [1] Emotional and mood-related symptoms are common (e.g., feeling anxious after a perceived exposure). [1] They are less likely to attribute their symptoms to psychological factors than healthier people. [1] For example, a healthier person might say that a headache was probably caused by stress, but a person with MCS is more likely to blame an external factor, such as chemicals.
People with MCS frequently have other medical conditions, including somatic symptom disorder, affective disorder, anxiety disorder, and psychotic disorders. [1] They are often neurotic, have high negative affectivity (e.g., feeling anxious), and tend to be absorbed by perceived exposures. [1] They also tend to have very strong concerns about chemicals and pollution. [1]
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS or IEI-EMF) is a chronic condition very similar to MCS, except that the affected person blames electromagnetic fields for their symptoms, rather than chemicals. [1] Typical claims for triggers involve mobile phones and cell sites, cordless telephones, and power lines. [1] Symptoms produced involve sleep disorders, headaches, nervousness, fatigue, and difficulty with concentrating. [1]
People with EHS frequently have other mental disorders, such as major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder. [1]
Infrasound hypersensitivity (IHS) is a collection of symptoms that appears when the person has been exposed to low-frequency or infrasound noise, usually from machinery such as a wind turbine. [1] It is sometimes called wind turbine syndrome or vibroacoustic syndrome. [1] The trigger for this is the noise produced, and not, e.g., disliking the visual appearance of wind turbines. Symptoms include ear-related symptoms (e.g., tinnitus), balance problems (e.g., dizziness), problems with concentration and memory, heart palpitations, fatigue, and sleep problems. [1] The psychological symptoms, which can be significant, include feelings of frustration, anger, depression, and anxiety. [1] Feeling annoyed by the presence of wind turbines is correlated with poor sleep. [1]
IHS is not the same as hyperacusis. [1]
Other IEIs include sick building syndrome and some types of food intolerance. [1]
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is an unrecognized and controversial diagnosis characterized by chronic symptoms attributed to exposure to low levels of commonly used chemicals. Symptoms are typically vague and non-specific. They may include fatigue, headaches, nausea, and dizziness.
Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), also known as disorders of gut–brain interaction, include a number of separate idiopathic disorders which affect different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and involve visceral hypersensitivity and motility disturbances.
Food intolerance is a detrimental reaction, often delayed, to a food, beverage, food additive, or compound found in foods that produces symptoms in one or more body organs and systems, but generally refers to reactions other than food allergy. Food hypersensitivity is used to refer broadly to both food intolerances and food allergies.
Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body's senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment.
Toxic encephalopathy is a neurologic disorder caused by exposure to neurotoxic organic solvents such as toluene, following exposure to heavy metals such as manganese, as a side effect of melarsoprol treatment for African trypanosomiasis, adverse effects to prescription drugs, or exposure to extreme concentrations of any natural toxin such as cyanotoxins found in shellfish or freshwater cyanobacteria crusts. Toxic encephalopathy can occur following acute or chronic exposure to neurotoxicants, which includes all natural toxins. Exposure to toxic substances can lead to a variety of symptoms, characterized by an altered mental status, memory loss, and visual problems. Toxic encephalopathy can be caused by various chemicals, some of which are commonly used in everyday life, or cyanotoxins which are bio-accumulated from harmful algal blooms (HABs) which have settled on the benthic layer of a waterbody. Toxic encephalopathy can permanently damage the brain and currently treatment is mainly just for the symptoms.
Psychoorganic syndrome (POS), also known as organic psychosyndrome, is a progressive disease comparable to presenile dementia. It consists of psychopathological complex of symptoms that are caused by organic brain disorders that involve a reduction in memory and intellect. Psychoorganic syndrome is often accompanied by asthenia.
Worrying is the mental distress or agitation resulting from anxiety, usually coming from a place of anticipatory fear (terror) or fear coming from a present threat (horror). With more understanding of the situation, worry becomes concern, the recognition of a future outcome that could be troubling, without necessarily having fear in that outcome.
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a claimed sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, to which adverse symptoms are attributed. EHS has no scientific basis and is not a recognized medical diagnosis, although it is generally accepted that the experience of EHS symptoms is of psychosomatic origin. Claims are characterized by a "variety of non-specific symptoms, which afflicted individuals attribute to exposure to electromagnetic fields". Attempts to justify the claim that EHS is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields have amounted to pseudoscience.
Medically unexplained physical symptoms are symptoms for which a treating physician or other healthcare providers have found no medical cause, or whose cause remains contested. In its strictest sense, the term simply means that the cause for the symptoms is unknown or disputed—there is no scientific consensus. Not all medically unexplained symptoms are influenced by identifiable psychological factors. However, in practice, most physicians and authors who use the term consider that the symptoms most likely arise from psychological causes. Typically, the possibility that MUPS are caused by prescription drugs or other drugs is ignored. It is estimated that between 15% and 30% of all primary care consultations are for medically unexplained symptoms. A large Canadian community survey revealed that the most common medically unexplained symptoms are musculoskeletal pain, ear, nose, and throat symptoms, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, and dizziness. The term MUPS can also be used to refer to syndromes whose etiology remains contested, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity and Gulf War illness.
Phobophobia is a phobia defined as the fear of phobias, or the fear of fear, including intense anxiety and unrealistic and persistent fear of the somatic sensations and the feared phobia ensuing. Phobophobia can also be defined as the fear of phobias or fear of developing a phobia. Phobophobia is related to anxiety disorders and panic attacks directly linked to other types of phobias, such as agoraphobia. When a patient has developed phobophobia, their condition must be diagnosed and treated as part of anxiety disorders.
Somatosensory amplification (SSA) is a tendency to perceive normal somatic and visceral sensations as being relatively intense, disturbing and noxious. It is a common feature of hypochondriasis and is commonly found with fibromyalgia, major depressive disorder, some anxiety disorders, Asperger syndrome, and alexithymia. One common clinical measure of SSA is the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS).
Stress-related disorders constitute a category of mental disorders. They are maladaptive, biological and psychological responses to short- or long-term exposures to physical or emotional stressors. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences categorizes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as stress-related disorders. However, the World Health Organization's ICD-11 excludes OCD but categorizes PTSD, Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), adjustment disorder as stress-related disorders.
Psychological dependence is a cognitive disorder and a form of dependence that is characterized by emotional–motivational withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of prolonged drug use or certain repetitive behaviors. Consistent and frequent exposure to particular substances or behaviors is responsible for inducing psychological dependence, requiring ongoing engagement to prevent the onset of an unpleasant withdrawal syndrome driven by negative reinforcement. Neuronal counter-adaptation is believed to contribute to the generation of withdrawal symptoms through changes in neurotransmitter activity or altered receptor expression. Environmental enrichment and physical activity have been shown to attenuate withdrawal symptoms.
Functional disorders are a group of recognisable medical conditions which are due to changes to the functioning of the systems of the body rather than due to a disease affecting the structure of the body.
Wind turbine syndrome and wind farm syndrome are terms for the alleged medical condition related to the proximity of wind turbines. Proponents claim that these effects include congenital abnormality, cancer, vertigo, nausea, autism, ADHD, death, tinnitus, stress, fatigue, memory loss, migraines and sleep deprivation. for which there is no scientific backing. The distribution of recorded events, however, correlates with media coverage of wind farm syndrome itself, and not with the presence or absence of wind farms. Neither term is recognised by any international disease classification system, nor do they appear in any title or abstract in the United States National Library of Medicine's PubMed database. Wind turbine syndrome has been characterized as pseudoscience.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling chronic illness. People with ME/CFS experience profound fatigue that does not go away with rest, sleep issues, and problems with memory or concentration. Further common symptoms include dizziness, nausea and pain. The hallmark symptom is a worsening of the illness which starts hours to days after minor physical or mental activity. This "crash" can last from hours or days to several months.
Somatic symptom disorder, also known as somatoform disorder, or somatization disorder, is defined by one or more chronic physical symptoms that coincide with excessive and maladaptive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors connected to those symptoms. The symptoms are not deliberately produced or feigned, and they may or may not coexist with a known medical ailment.
The term functional somatic syndrome (FSS) refers to a group of chronic diagnoses with no identifiable organic cause. This term was coined by Hemanth Samkumar. It encompasses disorders such as fibromyalgia, chronic widespread pain, temporomandibular disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, lower back pain, tension headache, atypical face pain, non-cardiac chest pain, insomnia, palpitation, dyspepsia and dizziness. General overlap exists between this term, somatization and somatoform. The status of ME/CFS as a functional somatic syndrome is contested. Although the aetiology remains unclear, there are consistent findings of biological abnormalities, and major health bodies such as the NAM, WHO, and NIH, classify it as an organic disease.
Idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) or chronic idiopathic fatigue or insufficient/idiopathic fatigue is a term used for cases of unexplained fatigue that have lasted at least six consecutive months and which do not meet the criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Such fatigue is widely understood to have a profound effect on the lives of patients who experience it.