[The problems of multiple-chemical sensitivity patients in using medicinal drugs].
Multiple-chemical sensitivity (MCS) patients are presumed to be compelled to lead inconvenient and difficult lives, because unpleasant and multiorgan symptoms are caused by very small amounts of various chemicals in the living environment. Therefore we conducted a questionnaire survey of MCS patients who are members of support groups to elucidate the problems of MCS patients in using medicinal drugs. In this report, we selected 205 persons who stated that they had been "diagnosed with MCS by a physician" or "a physician suspected a diagnosis of MCS" on the questionnaire as the reason they judged themselves to have MCS. The questionnaire results showed that about 60% of MCS patients have difficulty in using medicinal drugs and that the difficulties are more likely to occur in women, in people 40-59 years old, and in patients who developed MCS in reaction to pesticides or medicinal drugs. The prescribed drugs and OTC drugs noted as usable or unusable by patients in the questionnaire were analyzed from the viewpoint of their medicinal constituents. The results indicated that lidocaine is likely to be unusable by MCS patients. In addition, caffeine, aspirin, chlorphenylamine maleate, minocycline hydrochloride, levofloxacin, etc. were also likely to be unusable by MCS patients. Many patients who recorded drugs containing the above-mentioned remedies as unusable had a past history of allergy, suggesting that allergy is involved in the difficulties of MCS patients in using medicinal drugs.
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Yamazaki, Noda, Japan. suzukij@rs.noda.tus.ac.jp
Junzo
J
Suzuki
Harumi
H
Nikko
Fusao
F
Kaiho
Keiko
K
Yamaguchi
Hiroshi
H
Wada
Masao
M
Suzuki
D000328:Adult; D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects; D000075202:Contraindications; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D002110:Caffeine; D008012:Lidocaine; D001241:Aspirin