Nutricional Study for Multiple Chemical Syndrome Patients

IMDEA Alimentación carries out a study of phenotypic and genotypic characterization in patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity 

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a complex syndrome that presents as a set of symptoms related to a wide variety of agents and components found in the environment, presenting such reactions with exposure to levels commonly tolerated by most people. The SQM has been registered in the Spanish ICD-10 with the code T78.40 since January 2014, but there is still no register of patients, so its prevalence in our country is unknown. Therefore, basic, clinical and applied research on SQM are essential to find the causes of this disease, faster and more efficient forms of diagnosis and to promote treatments with scientific evidence that can improve the prognosis and quality of life of those affected.

The results of this study, recently published in the journal Medicina Clínica1, show that a high percentage of patients presented abnormal nutritional status (17% undernutrition and 32% overweight and obesity) with decreased muscle mass and strength (84% Muscle ratio below the 10th percentile and 52% a high fat mass percentage). All this undermines the physical and intellectual performance and the psychic and emotional state, already diminished or the disease, increasing the dependence.

Regarding the genotypic characterization, no specific genes associated with the disease were identified, given the limited number of patients on whom the study was conducted, but significant differences were observed in the frequencies of some of the genetic polymorphisms, which could be analyzed in a Greater number of patients. Basic, clinical and applied research on SQM are essential to find the causes of this disease, faster and more efficient forms of diagnosis and to promote treatments with scientific evidence that can improve the prognosis and quality of life of those affected.