People with self-reported electrohypersensitivity (EHS)
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: Participants with self-reported Electrohypersensitivity (EHS).
Procedure: Prior to the study the participants receive the questionnaires "Umwelmedizinischer Fragebogen", "MK-HAI" (Health re
Sponsors
Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 79 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria EHS group: - You are generally healthy - You are between 18 and 79 years old - You give your written consent to participate - You describe yourself as electrohypersensitive Inclusion criteria control groups: - You are generally healthy - You are between 18 and 79 years old - You give your written consent to participate - You have participated in the study „Bestimmung der menschlichen Perzeptionsschwelle in statischen elektrischen Feldern der Hochspannungs-Gleichstrom-Übertragung (HGÜ)“ (EK 320/15)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria all groups: - People who are pregnant - People who wear electronic implants and non-removable piercings - Abnormalities of the skin - Severe scarring in the arm area - Persons with neurological or mental illnesses that impair their perceptive abilities (e.g. neuropathy). - People taking psychoactive medication - Persons with schizophrenia or schizotypal and delusional disorders - Persons with acute suicidal tendencies - Persons with claustrophobia Exclusion criteria control groups: - People with self-reported electrohypersensitivity
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The primary outcome is the detection thresholds for AC-, DC-, and hybridfields. The detection thresholds are determined using Signal Detection Theory (SDT). In this process, field exposures are presented in random order and mixed with sham-exposures. Participants must indicate when they perceive a field. After correcting for extreme values and applying a z-transformation, a sensitivity index (d') can be computed. This index indicates the minimum field strength at which the field can be reliably perceived. A d' value of less than 1 suggests that the field was not perceived, whereas a d' value of =1 indicates successful detection. Participants with d' values above 2 or 3 exhibit very good to excellent detection performance. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| With the help of questionnaires and tests, the following secondary outcomes are sought at for all participants: - Environmental medical influencing factors ("Umweltmedizinischer Fragebogen" - Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, RWTH Aachen University). - Personality traits and psychological symptoms (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2 - Restructured Form (MMPI - 2 RF)). -Depression, psychological distress and psychosocial stress factors that are a possible cause (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)). - Health-related worries regarding ‘electrical radiation’ and anxiety about general health (German modified Health Anxiety Inventory (MK-HAI)). - Subjective perception of sleep quality and possible sleep problems ((Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)). - Health-related quality of life and the impairment experienced due to physical symptoms (Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) & PHQ-15). - Perception of own symptoms (Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS)). - Bias tendencies when reporting own symptoms (Self-Report Symptom Inventory - German Version (SRSI)). - Ability to introspect (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2)). - Attribution style of symptoms (German Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire (SIQ-d)). - Subjective perception of electric field exposure (Short self-designed questionnaire). - Length and condition of the scalp hair (Short self-designed questionnaire). In addition, a blood sample (7 - 10 ml) is taken to conduct genotyping to determine the following secondary outcome: - Possible polymorphisms. | — |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed