| The Role of Environmental Factors in Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Related Syndromes: Conference Summary and Recommendations Howard M. Kipen and Nancy Fiedler Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA Abstract This monograph of peer-reviewed articles is based on presentations at the conference "Environmental Factors in Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms and Related Syndromes" held 10-12 January 2001 in Piscataway, New Jersey, USA. The purpose of the conference was to determine research priorities for elucidating the role of environmental factors in medically unexplained symptoms and symptom syndromes. These include conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, sick building syndrome, Gulf War illness, and the like. Approximately 1 1/2 days were devoted to plenary talks and 1 day was devoted to break-out sessions to discuss epidemiologic, psychosocial, and experimental research. Recommendations were made for a series of epidemiologic, psychosocial, and experimental research approaches, with acknowledgment that nosology issues are clearly fundamental to advancing understanding of these conditions. Key words: environment, indoor air, psychology, research, symptoms. Environ Health Perspect 110(suppl 4) :591-595 (2002) . http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/suppl-4/591-595kipen/abstract.html The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |