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Idiopathic environmental intolerance

MedGen UID:
116716
•Concept ID:
C0242992
•
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: Chemical Sensitivities, Multiple; Chemical Sensitivity, Multiple; Environmental Intolerance, Idiopathic; Environmental Intolerances, Idiopathic; Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance; Idiopathic Environmental Intolerances; Intolerance, Idiopathic Environmental; Intolerances, Idiopathic Environmental; Multiple Chemical Sensitivities; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome; Sensitivities, Multiple Chemical; Sensitivity, Multiple Chemical
SNOMED CT: Idiopathic environmental intolerance (702772003)

Definition

Idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) formerly called multiple chemical sensitivity, is a subjective illness marked by recurrent, nonspecific symptoms attributed to low levels of chemical, biologic or physical agents. [from SNOMEDCT_US]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • Idiopathic environmental intolerance

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Management.
Binkley KE
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2023 Dec;11(12):3645-3649. Epub 2023 Sep 3 doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.08.039. PMID: 37660733
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): a systematic review of identifying criteria.
Baliatsas C, Van Kamp I, Lebret E, Rubin GJ
BMC Public Health 2012 Aug 11;12:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-643. PMID: 22883305Free PMC Article
Idiopathic environmental intolerance: Part 2: A causation analysis applying Bradford Hill's criteria to the psychogenic theory.
Staudenmayer H, Binkley KE, Leznoff A, Phillips S
Toxicol Rev 2003;22(4):247-61. doi: 10.2165/00139709-200322040-00006. PMID: 15189047

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Becoming electro-hypersensitive: A replication study.
Dieudonné M
Bioelectromagnetics 2019 Apr;40(3):188-200. doi: 10.1002/bem.22180. PMID: 30920673
Thermal and non-thermal health effects of low intensity non-ionizing radiation: An international perspective.
Belpomme D, Hardell L, Belyaev I, Burgio E, Carpenter DO
Environ Pollut 2018 Nov;242(Pt A):643-658. Epub 2018 Jul 6 doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.07.019. PMID: 30025338
Environmental Intolerance, Symptoms and Disability Among Fertile-Aged Women.
Vuokko A, Karvala K, Lampi J, Keski-Nisula L, Pasanen M, Voutilainen R, Pekkanen J, Sainio M
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Feb 8;15(2) doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020293. PMID: 29419757Free PMC Article
Representative survey on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields in Taiwan and comparison with the international literature.
Huang PC, Cheng MT, Guo HR
Environ Health 2018 Jan 15;17(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0351-8. PMID: 29334987Free PMC Article
Anaesthesia for patients with idiopathic environmental intolerance and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Fisher MM, Rose M
Br J Anaesth 2008 Oct;101(4):486-91. doi: 10.1093/bja/aen242. PMID: 18782886

Diagnosis

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Management.
Binkley KE
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2023 Dec;11(12):3645-3649. Epub 2023 Sep 3 doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.08.039. PMID: 37660733
Unproved and controversial methods and theories in allergy/immunology.
Agnihotri NT, Greenberger PA
Allergy Asthma Proc 2019 Nov 1;40(6):490-493. doi: 10.2500/aap.2019.40.4278. PMID: 31690401
Environmental Intolerance, Symptoms and Disability Among Fertile-Aged Women.
Vuokko A, Karvala K, Lampi J, Keski-Nisula L, Pasanen M, Voutilainen R, Pekkanen J, Sainio M
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Feb 8;15(2) doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020293. PMID: 29419757Free PMC Article
Anaesthesia for patients with idiopathic environmental intolerance and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Fisher MM, Rose M
Br J Anaesth 2008 Oct;101(4):486-91. doi: 10.1093/bja/aen242. PMID: 18782886
The relationship of mental disorders and idiopathic environmental intolerance.
Black DW
Occup Med 2000 Jul-Sep;15(3):557-70. PMID: 10903550

Therapy

Transcriptomic Profiling of Adult-Onset Asthma Related to Damp and Moldy Buildings and Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance.
Suojalehto H, Ndika J, Lindström I, Airaksinen L, Karvala K, Kauppi P, Lauerma A, Toppila-Salmi S, Karisola P, Alenius H
Int J Mol Sci 2021 Oct 1;22(19) doi: 10.3390/ijms221910679. PMID: 34639020Free PMC Article
Becoming electro-hypersensitive: A replication study.
Dieudonné M
Bioelectromagnetics 2019 Apr;40(3):188-200. doi: 10.1002/bem.22180. PMID: 30920673
Representative survey on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields in Taiwan and comparison with the international literature.
Huang PC, Cheng MT, Guo HR
Environ Health 2018 Jan 15;17(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0351-8. PMID: 29334987Free PMC Article
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): a systematic review of identifying criteria.
Baliatsas C, Van Kamp I, Lebret E, Rubin GJ
BMC Public Health 2012 Aug 11;12:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-643. PMID: 22883305Free PMC Article
Anaesthesia for patients with idiopathic environmental intolerance and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Fisher MM, Rose M
Br J Anaesth 2008 Oct;101(4):486-91. doi: 10.1093/bja/aen242. PMID: 18782886

Prognosis

Symptoms of Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance associated with chemicals (IEI-C) are positively associated with perceptual anomalies.
Speck MJ, Witthöft M
J Psychosom Res 2022 Jun;157:110808. Epub 2022 Apr 3 doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110808. PMID: 35421699
Representative survey on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields in Taiwan and comparison with the international literature.
Huang PC, Cheng MT, Guo HR
Environ Health 2018 Jan 15;17(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0351-8. PMID: 29334987Free PMC Article
Dispositional aspects of body focus and idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF).
Dömötör Z, Doering BK, Köteles F
Scand J Psychol 2016 Apr;57(2):136-43. Epub 2016 Feb 10 doi: 10.1111/sjop.12271. PMID: 26861662
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) and electrosensibility (ES) - are they connected?
Köteles F, Szemerszky R, Gubányi M, Körmendi J, Szekrényesi C, Lloyd R, Molnár L, Drozdovszky O, Bárdos G
Int J Hyg Environ Health 2013 Jun;216(3):362-70. Epub 2012 Jun 13 doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2012.05.007. PMID: 22698789
Modern health worries and idiopathic environmental intolerance.
Bailer J, Witthöft M, Rist F
J Psychosom Res 2008 Nov;65(5):425-33. Epub 2008 Sep 25 doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.05.006. PMID: 18940372

Clinical prediction guides

Metagenomic gut microbiome analysis of Japanese patients with multiple chemical sensitivity/idiopathic environmental intolerance.
Watai K, Suda W, Kurokawa R, Sekiya K, Hayashi H, Iwata M, Nagayama K, Nakamura Y, Hamada Y, Kamide Y, Fukutomi Y, Nakabayashi T, Tanaka K, Kamita M, Taniguchi M, Hattori M
BMC Microbiol 2024 Mar 11;24(1):84. doi: 10.1186/s12866-024-03239-y. PMID: 38468206Free PMC Article
Symptoms of Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance associated with chemicals (IEI-C) are positively associated with perceptual anomalies.
Speck MJ, Witthöft M
J Psychosom Res 2022 Jun;157:110808. Epub 2022 Apr 3 doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110808. PMID: 35421699
Becoming electro-hypersensitive: A replication study.
Dieudonné M
Bioelectromagnetics 2019 Apr;40(3):188-200. doi: 10.1002/bem.22180. PMID: 30920673
Representative survey on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields in Taiwan and comparison with the international literature.
Huang PC, Cheng MT, Guo HR
Environ Health 2018 Jan 15;17(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0351-8. PMID: 29334987Free PMC Article
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): a systematic review of identifying criteria.
Baliatsas C, Van Kamp I, Lebret E, Rubin GJ
BMC Public Health 2012 Aug 11;12:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-643. PMID: 22883305Free PMC Article

Recent systematic reviews

Methodological limitations in experimental studies on symptom development in individuals with idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) - a systematic review.
Schmiedchen K, Driessen S, Oftedal G
Environ Health 2019 Oct 22;18(1):88. doi: 10.1186/s12940-019-0519-x. PMID: 31640707Free PMC Article
Perspectives on multisensory perception disruption in idiopathic environmental intolerance: a systematic review.
Viziano A, Micarelli A, Pasquantonio G, Della-Morte D, Alessandrini M
Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2018 Nov;91(8):923-935. Epub 2018 Aug 7 doi: 10.1007/s00420-018-1346-z. PMID: 30088144
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): a systematic review of identifying criteria.
Baliatsas C, Van Kamp I, Lebret E, Rubin GJ
BMC Public Health 2012 Aug 11;12:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-643. PMID: 22883305Free PMC Article
Do people with idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields display physiological effects when exposed to electromagnetic fields? A systematic review of provocation studies.
Rubin GJ, Hillert L, Nieto-Hernandez R, van Rongen E, Oftedal G
Bioelectromagnetics 2011 Dec;32(8):593-609. Epub 2011 Jul 18 doi: 10.1002/bem.20690. PMID: 21769898
Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (formerly 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity'): An updated systematic review of provocation studies.
Rubin GJ, Nieto-Hernandez R, Wessely S
Bioelectromagnetics 2010 Jan;31(1):1-11. doi: 10.1002/bem.20536. PMID: 19681059

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