Progress Toward Understanding Morgellons Disease – New Research
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Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Nov 2, 2009 |
A recent scientific paper details the results of a study that looked at twenty-five people with diagnosed Morgellons disease. The results are fascinating.
An unfortunate minority of people suffer from a group of symptoms including itching, and a sensation of something crawling on or under the skin; a belief in fibres or filaments that come out through the skin; a belief in a chronic parasitic infestation; and chronic skin lesions. These people are often passed off as delusional and encouraged to seek psychiatric help. To make matters worse, many do exhibit symptoms of emotional disturbance.
For those who think there may be more to it, a recent paper in the Journal of Medical Case Reports is a must-read (Harvey, Bransfield, Mercer et al). The researchers chose a study group of twenty-five people who fit their case definition of Morgellons, collected data on symptoms, and ran a battery of medical tests to see if they could find common abnormalities to help pinpoint the cause of the disease. They conclude that Morgellons is probably a “chronic infectious process.”
Abnormal findings in the study group included (among other things):
- Low blood pressure
- High resting pulse
- A decrease in NK (natural killer) cells, cells of the immune system
- Increased fasting insulin levels
- Increased TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), which plays a role in inflammation
- Increased C-reactive protein, a protein that increases in inflammation
The researchers also noted a high level of certain autoimmune conditions. Patients with psychiatric diagnoses had been normal prior to developing physical symptoms of Morgellons, and the onset of symptoms frequently followed exposure to conditions of low sanitation.
These findings, the authors note, point to “a skin phenomenon, an immune deficiency state and a chronic inflammatory process.”
That should make a lot of people think (and Morgellons sufferers rejoice that someone is finally taking them seriously), but there are still a lot of questions to be answered:
- If Morgellons is an infection, what sort of infectious agent causes it?
- Which came first, the infection or the immune deficiency?
- What’s the relationship between delusional parasitosis (or delusions of parasitosis) and Morgellons?
- If exposure to unsanitary conditions is a risk factor, why isn’t there an epidemic of Morgellons in the
- Is there any connection between the “hygiene hypothesis” and the rise of Morgellons in the industrialized world?
“Morgellons Disease; Illuminating an Undefined Illness: a Case Series.” Harvey, William T., Robert C. Bransfield, Dana E Mercer et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2009, 3:8243 (Open access at BioMed Central)