title: "Multiple chemical sensitivities:" immunologic critique of clinical ecology theories and practice.
abstract: The concept of multiple chemical hypersensitivities as a disease entity in which the patient experiences numerous symptoms from numerous chemicals and foods caused by a disturbance of the immune systems lacks a scientific foundation. Published reports of such cases are anecdotal and without proper controls. There is no convincing evidence for any immunologic abnormality in these cases. Diagnostic methods have been shown to be unreliable. Diagnosis, treatment, and theoretical concepts underlying the purported disease are not consistent with current immunologic knowledge and theory. As defined and presented by its proponents, multiple chemical hypersensitivities constitutes a belief and not a disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Stanford University Medical School, CA 94305.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Terr
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy