Morgellons as a Somatopsychic Disorder with Organic Etiology
Published: 2021-10-05
Page: 122-127
Issue: 2021 - Volume 4 [Issue 1]
Jase Grimm
University of the People, Pasadena, California, USA.
Buddhini Dolapihilla *
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
G. E. D. M. Elapatha
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Udula Vidanage
Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Morgellons Disease (MD) is a multi-system disorder with a primary symptom characterized by the emergence of tiny, multicolored fibers from the skin. A study conducted in Northern California led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to not recognize MD as a separate diagnosis. The study involved 115 patients with MD-like symptoms. The researchers conducted interviews, analyzed patients’ blood and urine, and studied skin biopsies, but they failed to find a correlation between MD and any infectious or environmental cause. The study concluded that MD was more like a delusional disorder.
The purpose of this review is to evaluate the said study and describe the limitations and biases therein. This includes lack of a comparison group, sampling bias and problems in analyzing the results. The review will also highlight why MD should be considered a separate multisystem condition with an underlying pathology based on evidence from more recent studies.
Keywords: Morgellons Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delusional Disorder, Borrelia burgdorferi