engleski

Sick building syndrome- psychological, somatic and environmental determinants

The study aimed to investigate possible relationships between work-related symptoms attributed to sick building syndrome (SBS) and some psychological, somatic and environmental factors.The study comprised 171 female subjects working in air-conditioned and naturally ventilated non-industrial buildings. Symptoms related to SBS (EPA/NIOSH, 1991), assessments of quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and stressful life events (Social readjustment rating scale-SRRS) were collected by means of questionnaires. The level of emotional stability/neuroticism was determined by Cornell index (C.I.). The markers of skin and airway reactivity: skin prick test with inhalatory allergens, non-specific nasal reactivity, bronchial reactivity and total serum IgE were determined using standardised methods.Our study has shown the high prevalence of reported SBS symptoms, in particular feeling sore, dry eyes (57.9%), fatigue (60.2%) and headache (44.4%), as well as a generally high SBS index. Skin reactivity, airway reactivity and total IgE were not related to SBS index. However, psychological factors: emotional stability (C.I.), perception of physical health (WHOQOl– D1), psychological health (WHOQOl-D2) and the type of building ventilation significantly contributed to prediction of the SBS index, explaining 16% of the variance.The results support the view that some psychological factors in addition to the type of indoor air ventilation play a significant role in reporting complaints related to SBS syndrome.

Air conditioning; Atopy; Psychological factors; Sick building syndrome

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