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Claudia Miller, MD, MS, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive (222 MCS), San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, 210-567-7407, lutri@uthscsa.edu
The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI) is a newly developed, validated instrument with self-rating scales that measure Symptom Severity, Chemical (Inhalant) Intolerances, Other Intolerances (e.g., foods, medications, alcohol), Life Impact, and Masking (a measure of ongoing chemical exposures). When administered to four patient groups and controls, the scales showed good reliability and validity overall (n=421) and in each group. Used together, the scales provided sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 95% in differentiating chemically intolerant persons from controls.
Potential uses for the QEESI include research, clinical evaluations, and workplace or community investigations. The QEESI: (1) requires only 10-15 minutes of subjects’ time; (2) measures 5 key dimensions of chemical intolerance; (3) allows pre-/post- ratings of symptoms and intolerances, for example, before and after a pesticide exposure or sick building episode; (4) can be administered at intervals, e.g., every 6-12 months, to determine whether an individual’s overall condition is improving; (5) may be used for research to select patient and control groups or to measure the efficacy of selected interventions over time; (6) enables building investigators to identify more susceptible or affected individuals; (7) can be used to teach medical students, residents or other health professionals about chemical intolerance; and (8) permits cross-comparison of patients seen in different countries or by different specialists. A web-based version of the QEESI soon will be available.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to
Keywords: Indoor Environment, Environmental Exposures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.