Symptoms attributed to the environment--a systematic, interdisciplinary assessment

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Anke HussCharlotte Braun-Fahrländer

Abstract

To assess symptoms attributed to the environment from an interdisciplinary perspective and to evaluate the plausibility of the participants' individual theory of a causal relationship between exposure and health impairment. We assessed the medical, psychiatric and environmental background in every participant in an environmental medicine project and discussed the explanatory value of our findings for each reported symptom. Every second participant had at least one symptom that could be plausibly explained by simultaneously occurring medical, psychological or environmental findings. In 40% of the participants the research team rated the association between an environmental exposure and the health complaints to be 'plausible'. Psychiatric disorders were frequent, but did not exclude environmentally caused symptoms. Only an interdisciplinary structure including medical, psychiatric and environmental expertise is likely to adequately diagnose and advise persons with environmentally related symptoms.

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Citations

Aug 2, 2008·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·Serge BrandJoachim Kuechenhoff
May 27, 2008·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·Dieter EisMargitta Worm
Dec 15, 2006·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·Dieter Helm, Dieter Eis
Sep 26, 2006·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·Serge BrandJoachim Küchenhoff
May 25, 2015·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·W L ZijlemaJ G M Rosmalen
Sep 20, 2017·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Kuen Wai MaCheuk Ming Mak
Jan 13, 2006·International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health·Charlotte BrauerSigurd Mikkelsen

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