Thousands of patients across the United States are suffering from the strange symptoms of Morgellons Disease, which includes burning or itching sensations on the skin, and also the feeling of bugs crawling over, under or on top of it.
In some ways, the disease mimics the effects of scabies or lice, but with some important differences.
The disease is characterized by open sores on your face and body, and string-like fibers emerging from the skin. The wounds often appear as if fibers have been imbedded in them, along with seed-like granules and black material. However, some patients experience the physical symptoms of Morgellons, yet have no overt skin lesions.
The disease can also cause extreme problems with short-term memory, mental concentration and mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder). Ten percent of the children affected by Morgellons also suffer from autism spectrum disorders.
The fibers have led some doctors to theorize that the roots of the disease stem from an environmental cause, rather than something produced from within the body. If this is the case, the open sores are likely caused by scratching. [American Journal of Clinical Dermatology 2006; 7(1): pp.1-5]
There are many web sites reporting personal and collective experience with this condition. Doing a search is a requirement for anyone with symptoms of this mysterious condition.
On 4 November 2009, the CDC issued a preliminary report based on an external peer review of the project underway to investigat this condition. The report stated that “Data collection has been completed and analysis is ongoing.”[This report also explained that any findings would most likely be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal once data analysis is complete and results are available. This site should prove to be a valuable resource for those inquirying into this condition.
Signs, symptoms & indicators of Morgellons Disease
Short-term memory failure
Trouble concentrating
Sensation of crawling skin
Terrible/moderate/mild burning skin
Itchy skin
Conditions that suggest Morgellons Disease
Risk factors for Morgellons Disease
Chronic / Hidden Infection
This data review of Morgellons disease reports that the condition can be characterized as a physical human illness
with an often-related delusional component in adults. All medical histories support that behavioral aberrancies onset only after physical symptoms. The identified abnormalities include both immune deficiency and chronic inflammatory markers that correlate strongly with immune cytokine excess.
The review of 251 current NLM DP references leads us to the possibility that Morgellons disease and DP are grossly truncated labels of the same illness but with the reversal of the cause-effect order. Further, the patients’ data suggest that both illnesses have an infectious origin. [Journal of Medical Case Reports 2009, 3:8243]
Absence of short-term memory loss
Absence of burning skin
Absence of crawling skin
Morgellons Disease suggests the following may be present
Chronic / Hidden Infection
This data review of Morgellons disease reports that the condition can be characterized as a physical human illness
with an often-related delusional component in adults. All medical histories support that behavioral aberrancies onset only after physical symptoms. The identified abnormalities include both immune deficiency and chronic inflammatory markers that correlate strongly with immune cytokine excess.
The review of 251 current NLM DP references leads us to the possibility that Morgellons disease and DP are grossly truncated labels of the same illness but with the reversal of the cause-effect order. Further, the patients’ data suggest that both illnesses have an infectious origin. [Journal of Medical Case Reports 2009, 3:8243]
Morgellons Disease can lead to
Recommendations for Morgellons Disease
Antibiotics
“Cure is a word I am hesitant to use, but I have met one person who has been symptom free for about 3 years after discontinuing treatment. That person reported that they did a long-term course of high-dose antibiotic, anti-fungal and anti-helmenthic meds. Several people have claimed to be cured, but this is the only one I have personally met that has remained symptom-free for multiple years after discontinuing all treatments. I am not a physician and can give no recommendations for treatment. This person was not seen or treated by any physicians at OSU-CHS. I am merely passing this information on as a personal observation. I will keep working to try to identify the cause of Morgellons. At the moment I have no research-based, front-runners for the cause.”
With respect,
Randy S. Wymore, Ph.D.
Director, OSU-CHS Center for the Investigation of Morgellons Disease
Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Oklahoma State University
Center for Health Sciences
Conventional Drugs / Information
Many dermatologists refute the suggestion that this is an actual disease but instead indicate that many of these patients have psychological problems or other common skin disorders. Many psychiatirsts recommend antipsychotic drugs, as they consider the condition an imaginary parasitosis.
Key
| Weak or unproven link |
| Strong or generally accepted link |
| Proven definite or direct link |
| Weakly counter-indicative |
| Strongly counter-indicative |
| Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative |
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
Glossary
Scabies
Skin eruption due to a mite.
Short-Term Memory
Also known as immediate memory or working memory, this is a phase of memory in which a limited amount of information may be held for several seconds to minutes. In general, up to 7 'chunks' of information are stored for about 20 seconds.
Bipolar Disorder
Also known as manic-depression, this disorder is characterized by alternating periods of extreme moods, usually swinging from being overly elated or irritable (mania) to sad and hopeless (depression) and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between. The frequency of the swings between these two states, and the duration of the mood, varies from person to person.
Chronic
Usually Chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Cytokines
Cytokines are chemical messengers that control immune responses. They are secreted by white blood cells, T cells, epithelial cells and some other body cells. There are at least 17 different kinds of interleuken and 3 classes of interferon called alpha, beta and gamma and various subsets. Interleukens and interferons are called “cytokines” and there are two general groupings, Th1 and Th2. Th1 (T-cell Helper type 1) promote cell-mediated immunity (CMI) while Th2 (T-cell Helper type 2) induce humoral immunity (antibodies).
