ABSTRACT
Morgellons disease is a rare disease with unknown etiology. Herein, we report the first case of Morgellons disease in Korea. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of pruritic erythematous patches and erosions on the arms, hands, and chin. She insisted that she had fiber-like materials under her skin, which she had observed through a magnifying device. We performed skin biopsy, and observed a fiber extruding from the dermal side of the specimen. Histopathological examination showed only mild lymphocytic infiltration, and failed to reveal evidence of any microorganism. The polymerase chain reaction for Borrelia burgdorferi was negative in her serum.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Arm , Asian People , Biopsy , Borrelia burgdorferi , Chin , Hand , Korea , Morgellons Disease , Nerve Fibers, Myelinated , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Rare Diseases , SkinABSTRACT
We are presenting four new cases of delusions of parasitosis, two of which also had features of Morgellons disease. This illustrates the difficulties in therapy of these patients having almost universal refusal to accept the psychiatric component. Two of the patients responded to treatment while two did not. Of the two responders one was lost to follow up. The recommended treatments of pimozide, lexapro, and risperdone are examined. These rare diseases continue to be a challenge to the dermatologic community.