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A short chemical sensitivity scale for assessment of airway sensory hyperreactivity

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Abstract

Objectives

A short version of the 21-item Chemical Sensitivity Scale (CSS), called the Chemical Sensitivity Scale for Sensory Hyperreactivity (CSS-SHR), was developed and evaluated for the quantifying of self-reported affective reactions to and behavioral disruptions in daily activities by odorous/pungent substances among patients with sensory hyperreactivity (SHR) for clinical and epidemiological studies.

Methods

Twenty-two patients with clinically diagnosed SHR and 124 control participants responded to the CSS and to additional questions about chemical sensitivity for the evaluation of the CSS-SHR.

Results

Eleven of the 21 items of the CSS were selected, on statistical grounds, to constitute the CSS-SHR, which was found to generate approximately normal distributions, have good test–retest reliability (rxy=0.87), satisfying internal consistency (rα=0.76–0.84) and predictive and concurrent validity, and to be uni-dimensional. The metric properties of the CSS-SHR were, despite its few items, comparable with those of the CSS. A proposed diagnostic cut-off score for SHR demonstrated a high correct classification rate (92%) for the CSS-SHR.

Conclusions

The favorable metric properties of the CSS-SHR and its sensitivity/specificity suggests that it is useful for clinical diagnosis and epidemiological study of sensory hyperreactivity in combination with other diagnostic tools.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Vardal Foundation and the Swedish Research Council. We gratefully acknowledge Jonas Sandström and Ewa Ternesten for excellent assistance.

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Correspondence to Steven Nordin.

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Nordin, S., Millqvist, E., Löwhagen, O. et al. A short chemical sensitivity scale for assessment of airway sensory hyperreactivity. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 77, 249–254 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0504-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0504-7

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