Title: Morgellons Disease: An Urban Legend?
Authors: Tathagata Chatterjee, Sanjiv S. Kale
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v4i12.07
Abstract
Morgellons (also known as Morgellons disease or Morgellons syndrome) is believed to be a delusional disorder characterized by the patient’s firm belief that he/she is infested by agents such as insects/parasites which causes hair or other fibers to grow from her body. It is a type of Delusional Parasitosis.
Patients with delusional parasitosis are more commonly recognized in dermatology practices today.1 Patients diagnosed to have Morgellons may exhibit a host of cutaneous symptoms such as crawling, biting and stinging sensations, unusual fibers being shed from the skin and persistent skin lesions such as rashes.
While the validity of the diagnosis is in question, the impact on patient's lives is real, often debilitating, and bears more examination.2
References
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