Survey Research on MCS
Survey questions can be used in large populations where there is no opportunity or intention to follow-up with a clinical exam. In such studies, the answers provided by the “cases” identified by the survey can help researchers estimate characteristics of the population. For example, Steinemann (2019) simply asked “Compared to other people, do you consider yourself allergic or unusually sensitive to everyday chemicals like those in household cleaning products, paints, perfumes, detergents, insect spray and things like that?” and then asked an additional question about whether the individual had ever been told they have MCS. Questions like these can provide a very good estimate of how prevalent a condition may be and what other conditions or exposures may be associated with a positive response. Following up on these questions with a clinical visit to verify the MCS diagnosis and perform additional validation work has been prohibitively expensive for most researchers. The Foundation hopes to address this gap by funding well-designed studies that include a clinical exam.
