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Are environmental medicine problems relevant in Switzerland?
Anke Huss1, Joachim Küchenhoff, Andreas Bircher
1Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine, Basel, Switzerland. anke.huss@unibas.ch
Swiss Medical Weekly
|November 2, 2004
Summary
Environmental health consultations were rare in Swiss general practices, representing 0.03% of visits. Concerned individuals often seek help from multiple sources, including environmental agencies, for environmental health issues.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Medicine
- Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- Prevalence of environment-related health problems in Switzerland was unknown.
- Divergent views existed regarding the magnitude of environmental health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the frequency of environmentally related health problems among patients of Swiss sentinel physicians.
- Assess symptoms and suspected environmental exposures in Switzerland.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed nearly 250 "Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network" physicians in 2002.
- Collected data on environmental health consultations, symptoms, and suspected exposures.
- Compared results with a Basel University pilot project on environmental health.
Main Results:
- 72 physicians reported 354 environment-related consultations (0.03% of total).
- Significant variations observed in consultation frequency, symptoms, and suspected exposures among physicians.
- Differences noted between "Sentinella" physicians and those offering alternative therapies.
Conclusions:
- Environmental medicine consultations in general practice were infrequent.
- Individuals with environmental health concerns utilize diverse healthcare providers and agencies.
- Integrated medical, psychiatric, and environmental professional counseling is recommended for effective treatment.