title: Chemical sensitivity and the immune system: a paradigm to approach potential immune involvement.
abstract: This paper approaches the issue of chemical sensitivity and the immune system though a consideration of established environmentally-induced immune alterations which have particular relevance to the broader topic of chemical sensitivity. Additionally, the report discusses the potential problems associated with prior narrow evaluation strategies for the assessment of environmentally-induced inflammation. A combined approach to assessment drawing upon biomarkers of both the immune and neurological systems is suggested. Such an approach recognizes the key roles which mediators of these two systems play in facilitating host inflammatory responses. The paper concludes with a discussion of the types of specific immune alterations which, from a mechanistic perspective, are likely to be involved with any linkage of chemical sensitivity to the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6401, USA.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Dietert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hedge
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology