Canadian Medical Guide

Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Immunologic Diseases > Hypersensitivity > Environmental Illness Terms and Definitions

Environmental Illness

Medical Definition:

A polysymptomatic condition believed by clinical ecologists to result from immune dysregulation induced by common foods, allergens, and chemicals, resulting in various physical and mental disorders. The medical community has remained largely skeptical of the existence of this "disease", given the plethora of symptoms attributed to environmental illness, the lack of reproducible laboratory abnormalities, and the use of unproven therapies to treat the condition. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)

Guide Notes:

GEN or unspecified; prefer specifics; coord IM with specific disease (IM) or source of illness (IM); also available are MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY; PERSIAN GULF SYNDROME & SICK BUILDING SYNDROME; not for diseases caused by environmental pollution: inde

Environmental Illness Categories.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - An acquired disorder characterized by recurrent symptoms, referable to multiple organ systems, occurring in response to demonstrable exposure to many chemically unrelated compounds at doses below those established in the general population to cause harmful effects. (Cullen MR. The worker with multiple chemical sensitivities: an overview. Occup Med 1987;2(4):655-61)

Sick Building Syndrome - A group of symptoms that are two- to three-fold more common in those who work in large, energy-efficient buildings, associated with an increased frequency of headaches, lethargy, and dry skin. Clinical manifestations include hypersensitivity pneumonitis (ALVEOLITIS, EXTRINSIC ALLERGIC); allergic rhinitis (RHINITIS, ALLERGIC, PERENNIAL); ASTHMA; infections, skin eruptions, and mucous membrane irritation syndromes. Current usage tends to be less restrictive with regard to the type of building and delineation of complaints. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)