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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An outbreak of complaints consisting primarily of eye and respiratory tract irritation accompanied by headache, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea occurred among the operating room personnel of a large metropolitan hospital. This initially was attributed to infiltration of diesel exhaust emissions into the ventilation system. However, following correction of this problem and subsequent unrevealing air monitoring, symptoms persisted and were noted in personnel in adjacent areas of the hospital as well. An industrial hygiene and medical evaluation was undertaken. Monitoring for carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and anesthetic gases and review of medical records and patient examinations were unrevealing, and the problem resolved gradually over several weeks. This outbreak represents a case of building-associated illness among health professionals in a hospital setting that was triggered by a single, identifiable noxious exposure but was sustained despite any apparent ongoing noxious exposures.
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PMID:Sick-hospital syndrome. 186 55

Outbreaks of acute illness among office workers have been reported with increasing frequency during the past 10-15 years. In the majority of cases, hazardous levels of airborne contaminants have not been found. Generally, health complaints have involved mucous membrane and respiratory tract irritation and nonspecific symptoms such as headache and fatigue. Except for rare examples of hypersensitivity pneumonitis related to microbiologic antigens, there have been no reports of serious morbidity or permanent sequelae. However, the anxiety, lost work time, decreased productivity and resources spent in investigating complaints has been substantial. NIOSH has reported on 446 Health Hazards Evaluations that were done in response to indoor air complaints. This data base is the source of most of the published accounts of building-related illness. Their results are summarized here with a discussion of common pollutants (tobacco smoke, formaldehyde, other organic volatiles), and the limitations of the available industrial hygiene and epidemiologic data. There has been one large scale epidemiologic survey of symptoms among office workers. The results associate risk of symptoms to building design and characteristics of the heating/air-conditioning systems, consistent with the NIOSH experience. Building construction since the 1970s has utilized energy conservation measures such as improved insulation, reduced air exchange, and construction without opening windows. These buildings are considered "airtight" and are commonly involved in episodes of building-associated illness in which no specific etiologic agent can be identified. After increasing the percentage of air exchange or correcting specific deficiencies found in the heating/air-conditioning systems, the health complaints often resolve, hence, the term "tight building syndrome" or "sick building syndrome."(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Sick building syndrome: acute illness among office workers--the role of building ventilation, airborne contaminants and work stress. 219 1

The "sick building syndrome" involves symptoms such as eye, skin and upper airway irritation, headache, and fatigue. A multifactorial study was performed among personnel in consecutive cases of sick buildings to investigate relationships between such symptoms, exposure to environmental factors, and personal factors. The total indoor hydrocarbon concentration was significantly related to symptoms. Other indoor exposures such as room temperature, air humidity, and formaldehyde or carbon dioxide concentration did not correlate with the symptoms. Personal factors such as reported hyperreactivity and sick leave due to airway diseases were strongly related to the sick building syndrome. Other factors associated with the sick building syndrome were smoking, psychosocial factors, and experience of static electricity at work. Neither atopy, age, sex, nor outdoor exposures correlated significantly with the number of symptoms. It was concluded that the sick building syndrome is of multifactorial origin and related to both indoor hydrocarbon exposure and individual factors.
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PMID:Indoor air quality and personal factors related to the sick building syndrome. 235 95

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a common chemical found in occupational and residential environments and has been suggested as a cause of asthmalike symptoms in some individuals. Clinical and animal studies suggest that HCHO adsorbed on respirable particles may elicit a greater pulmonary physiologic and inflammatory effect than gaseous HCHO alone. The purpose of this study was to determine if respirable carbon particles have a synergistic effect on the acute symptomatic and pulmonary physiologic response to HCHO inhalation. We randomly exposed 24 normal, nonsmoking, methacholine-nonreactive subjects to 2 h each of clean air, 3 ppm formaldehyde, 0.5 mg/m3 respirable activated carbon aerosol, and the combination of 3 ppm formaldehyde plus activated carbon aerosol. The subjects engaged in intermittent heavy bicycle exercise (VE = 57 l/min) for 15 min each half hour. Measures of response included symptom questionnaires, spirometry, body plethysmography, and postexposure serial peak flows. Formaldehyde exposure was associated with significant increases in reported eye irritation, nasal irritation, throat irritation, headache, chest discomfort, and odor. We observed synergistic increases in cough, but not in other irritant respiratory tract symptoms, with inhalation of formaldehyde and carbon. Small (less than 5%) synergistic decreases in FVC and FEV3 were also seen. We observed no HCHO effect on FEV1; however, we did observe small (less than 10%) significant decreases in FEF25-75% and SGaw which may be indicative of increased airway tone. Overall, our results demonstrated synergism, but the effect is small and its clinical significance is uncertain.
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PMID:Acute pulmonary response in healthy, nonsmoking adults to inhalation of formaldehyde and carbon. 258 34

The prevalence of certain symptoms (eye, skin and airway symptoms, headache, nausea, and fatigue) were studied among hospital workers with and without exposure to glutaraldehyde during cold sterilization work. The exposure to glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde was quantified by hygienic measurements in the breathing zone of the workers. Aldehydes were measured by a specific method, using sorbent tubes with Amberlite XAD-2 coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNF) and analyzed by liquid chromatography. The exposure measurements revealed that the present exposure to glutaraldehyde was intermittent and well below the Swedish occupational exposure limit. In spite of this low exposure, the exposed group exhibited a significantly increased frequency of skin and airway symptoms, as well as headache, in comparison with the unexposed group. A dose-response relationship between the frequency of exposure and the number of symptoms could also be demonstrated. No case of contact allergy to glutaraldehyde was found.
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PMID:Skin and respiratory symptoms from exposure to alkaline glutaraldehyde in medical services. 297 45

A family with chronic exposure to formaldehyde in a renovated apartment is reported. The source of exposure proved to be chipboard. The family members' symptoms were eye and upper airway irritation, malaise, headache, nausea, sleeping disturbances, irritability and lack of appetite. At first the syndrome was thought to be psychosomatic and the correct diagnosis was overlooked. Ten years after beginning of the chronic exposure a formaldehyde level of 0.35 ppm was still recorded in the apartment. Sources, symptoms and diagnosis of chronic formaldehyde immission are discussed.
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PMID:[Chronic formaldehyde exposure--a misunderstood disease?]. 337 85

Formaldehyde is but one of many chemicals capable of causing the tight building syndrome or environmentally induced illness (EI). The spectrum of symptoms it may induce includes attacks of headache, flushing, laryngitis, dizziness, nausea, extreme weakness, arthralgia, unwarranted depression, dysphonia, exhaustion, inability to think clearly, arrhythmia or muscle spasms. The nonspecificity of such symptoms can baffle physicians from many specialties. Presented herein is a simple office method for demonstrating that formaldehyde is among the etiologic agents triggering these symptoms. The very symptoms that patients complain of can be provoked within minutes, and subsequently abolished, with an intradermal injection of the appropriate strength of formaldehyde. This injection aids in convincing the patient of the cause of the symptoms so he can initiate measures to bring his disease under control.
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PMID:Diagnosing the tight building syndrome. 344 98

This paper explores the dose-response relation between formaldehyde (HCHO) concentration and reported health complaints (eye irritation, nose/throat irritation, headaches and skin rash) of nearly 2,000 residents living in 397 mobile and 494 conventional homes. The study analyzes the effects of HCHO concentration, age and sex of respondent, and smoking behavior on each of the four health effects. The results demonstrate a positive dose-response relation between HCHO concentration and reported health complaints, with reported health complaints demonstrated at HCHO concentrations of 0.1 ppm and above. Concentrations of 0.4 ppm in manufactured homes as targeted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), may not be adequate to protect occupants from discomfort and from acute effects of HCHO exposure.
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PMID:Formaldehyde-related health complaints of residents living in mobile and conventional homes. 381 39

The building illness syndrome (BIS) with complaints about dryness and irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat, and headaches is very common in Scandinavian buildings. The causes for BIS may be psychosocial, biological, physical or chemical factors in the indoor environment. Of these the chemical factors are considered to be the most important. BIS can be caused by formaldehyde, but the main sources of this emission are now controlled in the Scandinavian countries. As BIS complaints still are common, organic gases and vapors are considered to be the most important cause of BIS today. These gases and vapors are emitted from many building materials, and mixtures of these have been shown to be irritating in concentrations about 5 mg m-3, a concentration which is often found in new buildings. It is still an unsolved problem if BIS is due to the mixture of the organic gases and vapors themselves, or decomposition products in low concentrations, as for example peroxyacetyl nitrates known from outdoor air pollution. Irrespective of the cause, the rational approach would be a reduction of the emissions of organic gases and vapors from building materials or an increase of ventilation rates. The latter solution is not desirable due to the economic burden and to the need for energy conservation. We therefore suggest that building materials should be tested for emission of pollutants, so that materials emitting high concentrations of toxic substances can be identified and replaced by materials emitting less toxic substances and with emission of a lower rate.
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PMID:Scandinavian experiences with indoor air pollution. 383 10

A cross sectional survey investigating "building sickness" was carried out in two buildings with similar populations of office workers but differing ventilation systems, one being fully air conditioned with humidification and the other naturally ventilated. The prevalence of symptoms related to work was assessed by a questionnaire administered by a doctor. A stratified, randomly selected sample of workers was seen (84% response). Building sickness includes several distinct syndromes related to work, most of which were significantly more common in the air conditioned building than the naturally ventilated building--namely, rhinitis (28% v 5%), nasal blockage and dry throat (35% v 9%), lethargy (36% v 13%), and headache (31% v 15%). The prevalence of work related asthma and humidifier fever was low and did not differ significantly between the two buildings. An environmental assessment of the offices was performed to attempt to identify possible factors responsible for the differences in the prevalence of disease. Globe temperature, dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, moisture content, air velocity, positive and negative ions, and carbon monoxide, ozone, and formaldehyde concentrations were all measured. None of these factors differed between the buildings, suggesting that building sickness is caused by other factors.
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PMID:Comparison of health problems related to work and environmental measurements in two office buildings with different ventilation systems. 392 99


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