The diagnosis is complicated further by duplicity in the nomenclature of the illness. The illness is due to physician reinforcement that the symptoms are valid responses. Pavlovian conditioning triggers the symptoms. Activation of an adenyl cyclase trigger in the nose sets up recurrent responses to exposure. Mention is made of the political affect due to the number of individuals with MCS, as well as a recommendation that a clearinghouse for scientific information be established to encourage academic research on this symptom complex.
Chemical sensitivity is described as a symptom that occurs at low levels of exposure.
This is related to symptom reporting by patients with allergies. Specific syndromes such as that described by Cullen, are noted to be less common. This is compared to reactive airway disease. The question of whether there is a correlation between these two illnesses is noted. The mechanism by which inflammation of the airway occurs is not known.