Biomedical subjects

Anke Huss

Publications and source records attributed to Anke Huss.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Consultations in primary care for symptoms attributed to electromagnetic fields--a survey among general practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Five percent of the Swiss population attribute symptoms to electromagnetic fields (EMF). General practitioners (GPs) might play a key role in recognising an emerging health risk, since they are the first to observe and follow up persons who attribute symptoms to EMF. It is unclear to what extent EMFs have become an issue in general practice and which experiences GPs report from the consultations. METHODS: We conducted telephone interviews in a random sample of GPs in Switzerland in order to assess the frequency of consultations in primary care due to EMF and the GPs' experience with these patients. RESULTS: 342 general practitioners were interviewed, corresponding to a response rate of 28.2%. 69% of the GPs reported at least one consultation due to EMF, but GPs with a certificate in complementary medicine were much more likely to report EMF consultations. The median of EMF consultation numbers within one year was three. An overview of the most recent EMF-related consultation per GP yielded sleep disorders, headaches and fatigue as the most often reported symptoms and mobile phone base stations, power lines and the own use of mobile phones as the main EMF sources suspected to be associated to symptoms. GPs judged the association between EMF and the symptoms to be plausible in 54% of the cases. There was no combination of symptoms and EMF sources that was remarkably and consistently judged to be a plausible cause of the symptoms. CONCLUSION: In our survey, GPs often judged the association between the health problems and the suspected exposure to be plausible. This plausibility assessment seems to be based on grounds of preventive positions in a situation of scientific uncertainty. More research effort is needed to obtain more insight on a potential association between long term EMF exposure and unspecific symptoms.

Anxiety↗

PubMed2006

Interactional behaviour as a marker for screening patients with environment-related complaints.

BACKGROUND: Adequate assessment of symptoms of patients suffering from environmental illnesses requires appropriate procedures such as psychological and psychiatric diagnostics, medical screening and a thorough analysis of noxious environmental factors. The Basel pilot research project established a multi-methodological assessment procedure that meets these criteria. However, an exhaustive three-fold analysis is very costly in terms of both equipment and personnel, and hence the need for a heuristic approach and pre-screening persists. METHOD: The three-fold diagnostic approach was preceded by a structured psychodynamic interview; the findings were used to construct a new profile of the patient's interactional behaviour (IB) in conjunction with the interviewer's countertransference. The extent to which this new profile could predict the results of the multi-method assessment was then assessed. RESULTS: A low level of IB on the part of the patient significantly predicted the degree of stress and the extent of the psychiatric diagnosis, including personality disorders. A negative IB was associated with negative personality traits. Furthermore, a high level of IB implied more medical, but not more environmental, findings which could plausibly be related to the patient's complaints. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of patients' IB in conjunction with one's own countertransference is very helpful as a preliminary heuristic approach and may lead to consequences for treatment and therapy. Therefore, the training provided for experts who deal with patients suffering from environment-related complaints should place more specific emphasis on assessing patients' behaviour and on incorporating information gathered from countertransference. Nevertheless, an interdisciplinary assessment including medical, psychological/psychiatric, and environmental expertise remains mandatory for adequate and satisfactory diagnosis of patients with environment-related complaints.

Behavior↗

PubMed2006

The prevalence of symptoms attributed to electromagnetic field exposure: a cross-sectional representative survey in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate health risk perception as well as to assess the prevalence of self-reported symptoms attributed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and other environmental exposures in the general population of Switzerland. METHODS: Between May and June 2004, telephone interviews of a representative sample of the Swiss population (n=2048, >14 years old) about: (1) health symptoms attributed to five environmental factors (one of which was EMF), (2) health risk perception related to 12 environmental risk factors (five of which were different EMF sources). RESULTS: We found a prevalence of 5% (95% CI 4-6%) for electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) in our study sample. The most common health complaints among EHS individuals were sleep disorders (43%) and headaches (34%), which were mostly attributed to power lines and mobile phone handsets. In addition, 53 percent (95% CI 51-55%) were worried about adverse health effects from EMF, without attributing their own health symptoms to them. CONCLUSIONS: The large proportion of the population who is concerned or attributes own symptoms to EMF may cause societal conflicts given the ubiquity of EMF in our everyday life.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

UMTS base station-like exposure, well-being, and cognitive performance.

BACKGROUND: Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) of mobile communication systems are widespread in the living environment, yet their effects on humans are uncertain despite a growing body of literature. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the influence of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) base station-like signal on well-being and cognitive performance in subjects with and without self-reported sensitivity to RF EMF. METHODS: We performed a controlled exposure experiment (45 min at an electric field strength of 0, 1, or 10 V/m, incident with a polarization of 45 degrees from the left back side of the subject, weekly intervals) in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. A total of 117 healthy subjects (33 self-reported sensitive, 84 nonsensitive subjects) participated in the study. We assessed well-being, perceived field strength, and cognitive performance with questionnaires and cognitive tasks and conducted statistical analyses using linear mixed models. Organ-specific and brain tissue-specific dosimetry including uncertainty and variation analysis was performed. RESULTS: In both groups, well-being and perceived field strength were not associated with actual exposure levels. We observed no consistent condition-induced changes in cognitive performance except for two marginal effects. At 10 V/m we observed a slight effect on speed in one of six tasks in the sensitive subjects and an effect on accuracy in another task in nonsensitive subjects. Both effects disappeared after multiple end point adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to a recent Dutch study, we could not confirm a short-term effect of UMTS base station-like exposure on well-being. The reported effects on brain functioning were marginal and may have occurred by chance. Peak spatial absorption in brain tissue was considerably smaller than during use of a mobile phone. No conclusions can be drawn regarding short-term effects of cell phone exposure or the effects of long-term base station-like exposure on human health.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Heat wave 2003 and mortality in Switzerland.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: During June to August 2003, high temperatures were reported across Europe including Switzerland. In many European countries, particularly in France the heat wave was associated with an increase in mortality. This is the first analysis investigating whether the high temperatures during summer 2003 in Switzerland had a measurable impact on mortality. METHODS: Daily data on all-cause mortality for the period January 1990 to December 2003, and meteorological data from 20 different stations for the same period were analysed. Excess mortality for different age groups, gender and geographic regions was calculated. Daily mortality and temperature in 2003 was correlated with lags of temperature up to 7 days. RESULTS: An estimated 7% increase in all cause mortality occurred during June to August 2003. Excess mortality was limited to the region north of the Alps, to inhabitants of cities and suburban areas and was more pronounced among the elderly and the inhabitants of Basel, Geneva and Lausanne. North of the Alps, deviations in daily mortality were significantly correlated with deviations in maximum daily temperatures and night temperatures. The combination of day temperature above 35 degrees C and night temperatures above 20 degrees C predominantly occurred in Basel and Geneva and might in part explain the regional differences in excess mortality. CONCLUSIONS: As the number of elderly people in Switzerland continues to rise and the occurrence of heat waves is predicted to increase as a consequence of global warming, preventive programmes targeting susceptible populations during heat waves are warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Psychiatric, medical and environmental factors in patients suffering from environment-related disorders].

BACKGROUND: A multidisciplinary approach and a multi-modal methodology are needed to assess idiopathic environmental illnesses. SAMPLE: 61 patients took part in all diagnostic steps. METHOD: In the Basel pilot research project on environmental illness, a threefold diagnostic approach was established: patients had a medical and allergological examination, a psychiatric and psychological exploration and an environmental analysis of their homes. RESULTS: There is a clear psychological impact on environmental illness: 46 % of the symptoms could be traced back to psychological factors, and 18 % seemed to be influenced by them. Nevertheless, in 28 % more than one of the three dimensions was seen as important. Values within the self reporting questionnaires show high correspondence. Whereas patients and experts agree in many instances that there are psychological factors, they disagree in attributing clinical relevance to them. This discrepancy is helpful for explaining the difficulties therapists may encounter as to the patients' compliance. CONSEQUENCES: Environmental illness should be diagnosed and treated on an interdisciplinary basis including psychosomatic medicine.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Are environmental medicine problems relevant in Switzerland?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In Switzerland, the prevalence of health problems attributed to environmental exposures is unknown, and views differ regarding its magnitude. In the present study we investigated the frequency of environmentally related health problems amongst the patients of Swiss sentinel physicians and assessed symptoms and suspected environmental exposures. METHODS: During 2002, nearly 250 "Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network" physicians were asked to record the number of patients presenting with environmental health problems and to complete a questionnaire inquiring about suspected environmental exposures and health problems. Physicians offering "alternative" medical therapies also participated in the study. The results were compared with the experience of a Basel University pilot project which evaluated patients with environment-related health problems simultaneously from the medical, psychiatric and environmental viewpoint. RESULTS: 354 environment-related consultations were reported by 72 physicians, corresponding to 0.03% of all sentinel-physician consultations. There were considerable differences both within the group of Sentinella physicians, and between physicians offering "alternative" medical therapies and the Sentinella physicians, in the frequency of environmentally-related consultations, the character of the reported symptoms and the suspected environmental exposures. CONCLUSION: Overall, environmental medicine consultations in general practice were rare. However, experience of the environmental medicine pilot project showed that concerned persons seek help from various health care providers and from environmental agencies. Effective treatment should include counselling by medical, psychiatric and environmental professionals.

Environmental Exposure↗

PubMed2004

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

PROBLEM: 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. METHOD: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: Only an interdisciplinary structure including medical, psychiatric and environmental expertise is likely to adequately diagnose and advise persons with environmentally related symptoms.

Counseling↗

PubMed2004

[Quantitative and qualitative analyses in patients with environmentally related disorders].

BACKGROUND: Diagnostics and therapy of environmentally related disorders are hampered by one-sided assumptions and by discrepancies between therapists' and patients' assessments of the disease cause. OBJECTIVES: Discrepancies between patient and expert opinions are examined as to (1) whether the sample can be classified in subgroups according to the convergence or divergence between self and expert rating, (2) which features and (3) which disorder-related behaviour and concepts characterize these groups. METHODS: Medical, psychopathological and environmental symptoms were assessed and their relative influence evaluated. Four subgroups were defined by differentiating between high and low psychological stress according to self and expert judgment, and then compared using statistical and qualitative methods. RESULTS: 61 patients were assessed and assigned to four different subgroups according to the number of psychiatric diagnoses, psychological conflicts, personality structure, environmental exposure and psychosocial integration. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostics of environmentally related disorders must be based on interdisciplinary tools. Treatment should incorporate the individual patient's conception of his or her disorder.

Adult↗