Background factors of chemical intolerance and parent–child relationships

Abstract

BackgroundChemical intolerance is a widespread public health problem characterized by symptoms that reportedly result from low-level exposure to chemicals. Although several studies have reported factors related to chemical intolerance in adults, the impact of family members has not been reported. In the present study, we investigated the background factors related to chemical intolerance in family members and parent–child relationships.MethodsWe distributed a self-reported questionnaire to 4325 mothers who were invited to visit the Kishiwada Health Center in Kishiwada City, Osaka, between January 2006 and December 2007 for the regular health checkup of their three-and-a-half-year-old children.ResultsThe prevalence of chemical intolerance in the 3-year-old children was almost one eighteenth of that reported by their mothers. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that cold sensitivity [odds ratio (OR), 1.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–3.44], past bronchial asthma (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.46–5.53), and any past allergies (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.36–3.60) were significantly associated with chemical intolerance in the mother. The presence of indoor cat during childhood (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.08–3.69) was significantly associated with chemical intolerance in the mother; however, the association was weak compared with cold sensitivity and past asthma and allergies. The current chemical intolerance of the mother was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.19–4.53), bronchial asthma (OR, 3.66; 95% CI, 2.00–6.69), and chronic bronchitis (OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.04–13.03) in her 3-year-old child.ConclusionsThe results suggest that inherent physical constitution and childhood housing environment are associated with a risk of acquiring chemical intolerance. Children of mothers with chemical intolerance have a possible risk of respiratory hypersensitivity or inflammation. Further investigation is recommended to determine the inherent physical constitution and background environmental factors associated with the risk of acquiring chemical intolerance. The impact of having mothers with chemical intolerance on the health of children also requires further study.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12199-018-0743-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Social economic factors and the risk of multiple chemical sensitivity in a Danish population-based cross-sectional study: Danish Study of Functional Disorders (DanFunD)

“…15 However, no association was observed between employment and chemical intolerance among 2044 Japanese women aged 18-47 years. 35 Moreover, the directionality of the association is not possible Open access establish due to the cross-sectional study designs in our and other studies, and we cannot rule out that employment status can be a consequence of having MCS. From a population-based cohort in Atlanta, Georgia, USA (total n=1291), 1.8% of the individuals with self-reported chemical sensitivity (n=193) reported loss of employment due to their sensitivities.…”

Chemical intolerance: involvement of brain function and networks after exposure to extrinsic stimuli perceived as hazardous

“…Three 5-year follow-up studies reported that participants who developed CI between baseline and follow-up reported more health complaints or negative psychosomatic states at baseline compared to participants who did not develop CI [101, 103, 104]. An association of risk of acquiring CI with measures of inherent physical constitution, such as cold sensitivity or the presence of an indoor cat during childhood, has also been reported [105]. In this study, the prevalence of current CI in mothers was 4.5% and in their 3-year-old children was 0.25%, or approximately one eighteenth of that reported by their mothers [105].…”

“…An association of risk of acquiring CI with measures of inherent physical constitution, such as cold sensitivity or the presence of an indoor cat during childhood, has also been reported [105]. In this study, the prevalence of current CI in mothers was 4.5% and in their 3-year-old children was 0.25%, or approximately one eighteenth of that reported by their mothers [105]. Devriese et al reported that generalization of acquired somatic symptoms in response to odorous substances especially occurred in individuals with high negative affectivity [89].…”

A case report of idiopathic environmental intolerance: A controversial and current issue

“…Among these, Azuma et al, showed alterations in cerebral flow in MCS patients after exposure to particularly unpleasant compounds. The same author suggested also that inherent physical constitution and childhood housing environment are associated with a risk of acquiring chemical intolerance . Others have instead shown peculiar genetic polymorphisms that can explain the symptomatology.…”

“…[9][10][11][12] In 80% of patients the predominant symptoms are asthenia, arthromial pain, dyspepsia, coriza, eructation, chest pain, insomnia. 13 IEI/MCS is a widespread public health problem 14 currently considered a special case of chemical intolerance (CI), or a tendency to develop nonspecific symptoms involving multiple systems (eg, nervous, gastrointestinal, ocular) in response to exposure to some specific chemicals. The prevalence of the CI is 33% in the general population, while the MCS has a prevalence between 0.5% and 6%.…”