Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36972962›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2023

Social economic factors and the risk of multiple chemical sensitivity in a Danish population-based cross-sectional study: Danish Study of Functional Disorders (DanFunD).

Anne Ahrendt Bjerregaard, Signe Ulfbeck Schovsbo, Lise K Gormsen, Sine Skovbjerg, Lene Falgaard Eplov, Allan Linneberg, José G Cedeño-Laurent, Torben Jørgensen, Thomas Meinertz Dantoft

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Residential Outdoor Environments for Individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Anne Ahrendt BjerregaardSection of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0628-5292
Signe Ulfbeck SchovsboSection of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0206-8581
Lise K GormsenResearch Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Sine SkovbjergDepartment of Clinical Medicine, The Danish Center for Mindfulness, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Lene Falgaard EplovCopenhagen Research Center for Mental Health- CORE, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Allan LinnebergSection of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
José G Cedeño-LaurentDepartment of Exposure Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge MA, Massachusetts, USA.
Torben JørgensenSection of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Thomas Meinertz DantoftSection of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark thomas.meinertz.dantoft@regionh.dk.ORCID 0000-0001-7437-7052
Frederiksberg Hospital · DKUniversity of Copenhagen · DKAarhus University · DKAarhus University Hospital · DKHarvard University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesMultiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a rare multisystem and poly-symptomatic disease characterised by a report of various somatic symptoms attributed to inhalation of volatile chemicals in usually harmless doses. The aim was to explore four selected social factors and the risk of MCS in the general Danish population.

designA cross-sectional general population-based study.

settingThe Danish Study of Functional Disorders was conducted from 2011 to 2015 which included 9656 participants.

participantsA total of 8800 participants were included in analyses after observations with missing data on exposure and/or outcome were excluded. A total of 164 cases fulfilled the questionnaire criteria for MCS. Of the 164 MCS cases, 101 reported no comorbid functional somatic disorder (FSD) and were included in a subgroup analysis. A total of 63 MCS cases fulfilled the criteria for at least one additional FSD, this subgroup was not included in further analysis. The remaining study population without MCS or any FSD were regarded as controls. OUTCOME MEASURES: We used adjusted logistic regression to calculate OR and 95% CIs of MCS and MCS without FSD comorbidities for each social variable separately including education, employment, cohabitation and subjective social status.

resultsWe found an increased risk of MCS among the unemployed (OR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.75 to 4.97), and a twofold increased risk of MCS among individuals with low subjective social status (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.08 to 3.70). At the same time, 4 years or more of vocational training were protective of MCS. No significant associations were observed among MCS cases with no comorbid FSD.

conclusionLower socioeconomic status was found to be associated with a higher risk of having MCS but not with MCS without FSD comorbidities. Due to the cross-sectional design of the study, we cannot determine whether social status is a determinant or a consequence of MCS.

Indexed as

Multiple Chemical SensitivityCross-Sectional StudiesDenmarkEconomic FactorsHumansSocial FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesEPIDEMIOLOGYPhysiologyPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID36972962
PMCPMC10069487
OpenAlexW4360999766

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.