Symptoms and health status in individuals with multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome from four reported sensitizing exposures and a general population comparison group.

Self-reported information about health and mental health status and history on (a) three diverse samples of individuals who reported multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome (n = 60) and (b) one sample of the general population (n = 60) was collected by telephone interview. Subjects from the general population were selected randomly from the telephone directory and were matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status with index subjects. Data on an additional 10 subjects with multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome were also available for comparison on many of the variables of interest. The four diverse groups of patients with multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome had very similar general and specific indices of illness and sensitivity to chemicals. Members of the general population reported mild sensitivity to chemicals, and even those with more sensitivity differed from the multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome groups with respect to number and types of symptoms reported, duration and frequency of response, and associated features. Multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome was associated consistently with only one psychiatric variable, elevated negative affect scores, which were correlated significantly with the presence of illness. Patients with multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome from the diverse samples had very similar characteristic features, despite whether they had or had not received treatment by clinical ecologists.