multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome


multiple chemical sensitivity/sensitivities syndrome

Occupational medicine An acquired workplace disorder characterized by recurrent Sx referable to multiple organ systems, in response to demonstrable exposure to chemically unrelated compounds at doses far below those established in the general population to cause harmful effects; MCSS may be caused by indoor air pollution Clinical Respiratory problems, headaches, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, GI difficulties, skin disease, cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, irritability and depression, eye, ear, nose, throat problems, confusion, short-term memory loss, disorientation. See Clinical ecology, Environmental disease. See Chemical imbalance.

multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome

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MCSS

The association of multiple physical symptoms with prolonged or recurrent exposures to low levels of environmental pollutants. Clinical research has failed to establish the precise nature of the syndrome, its causes, the functional limitations it may cause, or the best course of treatment. Many hypotheses have been suggested: some proponents of the syndrome believe that it results from allergic or immune-mediated mechanisms; skeptics have suggested that the symptoms are a form of masked depression, adverse conditioning to unusual odors, or, in some instances, a form of malingering. None of these hypotheses has been definitively proven.