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REPORTS AND EVIDENCE As with MCS and CFS, the Etiology is unclear and a subject of controversy. ES so far has been less widely reported than MCS (although the number of reports is increasing rapidly) and therefore has a lower level of debate and awareness among physicians. Some professionals consider ES to be a real physical condition for which the cause is unclear; others consider it to be a Psychosomatic Illness . In Sweden, ES has been accepted as a real condition and Government support is available to sufferers, and several thousand people are registered with the national association FEB. Elsewhere, mainstream medical opinion generally does not recognise ES as a physical condition. However, in Germany, over 50 doctors signed the Freiburger Appeal of 9 October 2002, stating "we can see a clear temporal and spatial exposure between the appearance of {Link without Title} disease and exposure to pulsed high-frequency microwave radiation", and over 2000 qualified doctors in Germany and the EU have now signed. In the UK, a recent report by the Health Protection Agency (Irvine 2005) concludes that ES needs to be considered in additional ways to Etiology , as no specific test currently exists; hence sufferers and their support groups are firmly convinced of a causal relationship with EMF's, whereas at present the majority of mainstream scientific opinion does not consider there to be robust evidence of such a link. Symptoms may be classed as mild, moderate or severe. Prevalence is hard to assess as health authorities do not generally accept the condition and there is no quantitative test. Claims that 10–25% of national populations may be affected are for mild symptoms, of which the association to electromagnetic fields is subjective. A questionnaire survey of 2,072 people in California found that the prevalence of ES within the sample group was 3.24% (95% CI 2.8–3.68%), with ES being defined as "Being allergic or very sensitive to getting near electrical appliances, computers, or power lines" (Levallois 2002, response rate not specified). A similar questionnaire survey from the same year in Stockholm County (Sweden), found a 1.5% prevalence of ES amongst the sample group, with ES being defined as "Hypersensitiviy or allergy to electric or magnetic fields" (Hillert 2002, response rate 73%). The EC expert group (REF) also attempted to estimate the extent of ES within EU countries. The group reported that estimates of the total number of cases differed substantially between the countries as well as between the answering groups. With self aid group (SAG) estimates consistently around ten times higher than those of centres of occupational medicine (COM). Estimates ranged from less than a few cases per million of the population (COM estimates from UK, Italy and France) to a few tenths of a percent of the population (SAG estimates in Denmark, Ireland and Sweden). The group concluded that the differences in prevalence were at least partly due to the differences in available information and media attention around ES that exist in different countries. Similar views have been expressed by other commentators (Irvine 2005, section 4.6). SYMPTOMS Initial Swedish and Nordic reports were of facial skin effects (moderate) attributed to extensive use of VDUs such as dry eyes and burning skin (Irvine 2005). However in Europe as a whole and the USA, more general (moderate/severe) symptoms have been reported, especially neurological symptoms such as headache, fatigue and tinnitus, and skin symptoms throughout the body. In many cases these are reported to have occurred in people who have supposedly suffered from CFS , MCS , Hypersensitivity or Autoimmune Disease , or have had high levels of use of electrical equipment such as Mobile Phones . (Grant 1997). Different sufferers report different levels of susceptibility to electric fields, magnetic fields and various frequencies of electromagnetic waves (including fluorescent and low-energy lights, and microwaves from mobile and cordless phones). (Philips 2003). Electrical sensitivity can have major social consequences, particularly for those with more general symptoms (Irvine 2005). TREATMENT No reliable treatment is yet known, mainly because the existence of the condition remains scientifically unproven. Avoidance, as far as possible, is the main strategy practised by those who claim to suffer from severe ES; this presents major practical difficulties in modern society. Other methods include screening/shielding (such as Earthed/grounded metallic netting or paints), electrical filters, and the treatment of underlying illnesses. Evidence points towards a trend for improvement with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Irvine 2005), a feature common to some other conditions regarded as FSS (Functional Somatic Syndromes, Brasky 1999) / IEI (Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance, Keonke 2000) SEE ALSO
REFERENCES # Irvine, Neil (2005). "Definition, epidemiology and management of electrical sensitivity" . Report for the Radiation Protection Division of the UK Health Protection Agency, HPA-RPD-010. # Rea, W et al (1991). Electromagnetic field sensitivity, Journal of Bioelectricity 1991;10:241-256 # Hillert, L et al (2002). Prevalence of self-reported hypersensitivity to electric or magnetic fields in a population-based questionnaire survey, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 2002;205:353-60 # Levallois, P et al (2002). Study of self-reported hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields in California. Environmental Health Perspectives 2002;110(suppl 4):619-623 # Grant, Lucinda (1997). "Electrical Sensitivity as an Emerging Illness" . Townsend Letter to Doctors and Patients. # Philips, Alasdair and Jean (2003). Electrical hypersensitivity (ES) - a modern illness. Available from EMFields {Link without Title} # Brasky, A (1999) Functional somatic syndromes, Annual of International Medicine 1999;130:910-921 # Kroenke, K (2000) Cognitive behavioral therapy for somatization and symptom syndromes: a critical review of controlled clinical trials, Psychotherapy and psychosomatics 2000;69:205-15 # Katajainen, Jyrki, and Bengt Knave, eds. (1995). "Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity". Danish Association for the Electromagnetically Hypersensitive, Copenhagen, Denmark. # Grant, Lucinda (1995). ''The Electrical Sensitivity Handbook: How Electromagnetic Fields (Emfs) Are Making People Sick'', Weldon Publishers, Arizona. ISBN 0963540726 # Freiburger Appeal (2002): see {Link without Title} (PDF) # World Health Organisation (WHO) factsheet no. 296 on Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (2005): see {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS
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