Idiopathic environmental intolerance

摘要

This issue of Reviews on Environmental Health consists of invited papers on several syndromes of uncertain etiology but ones that pose serious and severe debilitation and interference with quality of life for those affected. Often in aggregate called "idiopathic environmental intolerance" they include electromagnetic hypersensitivity, multiple chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Gulf War illness and likely some others less well defined. All have in common fatigue, pain (especially headaches and joint and muscle pain), often altered cognitive function, cardiac problems, and impaired mobility and balance. Often, but not always, some specific event or exposure triggers the initiation of the syndrome. Because the symptoms are relatively non-specific, patients may unfortunately be referred to psychiatric rather than medical care. There are few effective treatments other than reducing exposure to triggering environmental factors. There is increasing world-wide awareness that these are real diseases that affect a significant percentage of the population, but still attract significant controversy. We hope that these peer-reviewed publications will not only stimulate awareness of the problem but also stimulate science-based research on treatment regimens for symptomatic relief and reversal of the disease processes. All of these pathologic disorders should be recognized by the scientific and medical communities and international health institutions. This issue presents state-of-the-art reviews of the scientific advances in the pathophysiologic understanding of these disorders for medical practitioners and research scientists.