Background

The technological applications of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have been steadily increasing since the 1950s across multiple sectors exposing large proportions of the population. This fact has raised concerns related to the potential consequences to people’s health. The World Health Organization (WHO) is assessing the potential health effects of exposure to RF-EMF and has carried out an international survey amongst experts, who have identified six priority topics to be further addressed through systematic reviews, whereof the effects on symptoms is one of them. We report here the systematic review protocol of experimental studies in humans assessing the effects of RF-EMF on symptoms.

Objective

Our objectives are to assess the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (compared to no or lower exposure levels) on symptoms in human subjects. We will also assess the accuracy of perception of presence of exposure in volunteers with and without idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF).

Eligibility criteria

We will search relevant literature sources (e.g. the Web of Science, Medline, Embase, Epistemonikos) for randomized trials (comparing at least two arms) and randomised crossover trials of RF-EMF exposure that have assessed the effects on symptoms. We will also include studies that have measured the accuracy of the perception of the presence or absence of exposure. We will include studies in any language.

Study appraisal and synthesis

Studies will be assessed against inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Data on study characteristics, participants, exposure, comparators and effects will be extracted using a specific template for this review, by two independent reviewers. Discrepancies will be solved by consensus. Risk of bias (ROB) will be assessed using the ROB Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies and the level of confidence in the evidence of the exposure-outcome relations will be assessed using the GRADE approach. For the perception studies, we will use adapted versions of the ROB tool and GRADE assessment. Where appropriate, data will be combined using meta-analytical techniques.

中文翻译：

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射频电磁场暴露对人类自我报告症状的影响：对人体实验研究进行系统评价的方案

背景

自 1950 年代以来，射频电磁场 (RF-EMF) 的技术应用在多个部门稳步增加，暴露了大部分人口。这一事实引起了人们对对人们健康的潜在后果的担忧。世界卫生组织 (WHO) 正在评估暴露于 RF-EMF 对健康的潜在影响，并在专家中进行了一项国际调查，他们确定了需要通过系统评价进一步解决的六个优先主题，其中对症状的影响是一个其中。我们在此报告评估 RF-EMF 对症状影响的人类实验研究的系统评价方案。

客观的

我们的目标是评估暴露于电磁场（与没有或较低的暴露水平相比）对人类受试者症状的影响。我们还将评估有和没有归因于电磁场 (IEI-EMF) 的特发性环境不耐受的志愿者对暴露存在感知的准确性。

资格标准

我们将搜索相关文献资源（例如，Web of Science、Medline、Embase、Epistemonikos）以获取评估对症状影响的 RF-EMF 暴露的随机试验（比较至少两个组）和随机交叉试验。我们还将包括测量存在或不存在暴露的感知准确性的研究。我们将包括任何语言的研究。

研究评价与综合

研究将由两名独立评审员根据纳入标准进行评估。有关研究特征、参与者、暴露、比较者和效果的数据将由两名独立的审查员使用特定模板提取。分歧将通过协商一致解决。偏倚风险 (ROB) 将使用 ROB 人类和动物研究评级工具进行评估，对暴露-结果关系证据的置信水平将使用 GRADE 方法进行评估。对于感知研究，我们将使用 ROB 工具和 GRADE 评估的改编版本。在适当的情况下，将使用元分析技术组合数据。