Morgellons disease: do you feel bugs crawling under your skin?
March 27, 2007
With symptoms that include intense skin and muscle pain, skin lesions, extreme fatigue, cognitive difficulties and crawling or biting sensations under the skin, some people appear to have a mysterious illness they refer to as Morgellons disease.
Morgellons is a multi-symptom disease that is just now starting to be researched and understood.
It has a number primary symptoms:
- Physical
- Skin lesions
- Sensation of crawling and biting on and under the skin
- Appearance of fibers and granules coming out of the skin
- Fatigue
- Mental
- Short-term memory loss
- Attention Deficit, Bipolar or Obsessive-Compulsive disorders
- Impaired thought processing (brain fog)
According to the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Morgellons Disease is frequently misdiagnosed as Delusional Parasitosis.
In July, 2006, The Dallas Observer wrote:
Before 2002, nobody had heard of Morgellons disease. Today, there are more than 4,000 people in the United States who say they have it, and hundreds more worldwide.
Doctors who believe the disease is real, and there are at least a dozen, have no idea what causes it. As [one man] discovered, the theories range from the plausible (bugs) to the outlandish (French bottled water).
Whatever its cause, those who have seen the disease up close say it is horrifying, like something out of a sci-fi movie.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve seen to this point,” says Ginger Savely, a San Francisco nurse practitioner who has treated more than 125 Morgellons patients, most of them from Texas. “It’s so different that it sounds kind of…well, it’s scary because it’s so different. Some of the things I’ve seen, it could really make you doubt your own sanity.” Wilson’s symptoms, for example–lesions, black sweat, colored fibers sprouting from the skin–are some of the most commonly described symptoms. Other side effects include hair loss, “brain fog,” crippling fatigue and, occasionally, the disintegration of teeth.
Two of the largest clusters of the disease, according to the Morgellons Research Foundation, are in the Houston and Dallas areas. Judy Egan, a 55-year-old bar manager who lives near Arlington, says she and her husband contracted Morgellons about a year ago after handling produce at a farmers market near Mansfield. Both have seen strange fibers coming out of their skin. Others who have the illness are afraid to speak publicly about it, fearing friends and co-workers will think they’re nuts.
CDC Looking Into Morgellons Diseases
Something strange is happening inside Jeanne Strzyzewski Bauer’s body. Even stranger are the tiny pepperlike specks that come out of her skin and eat holes in her clothing.
“Sometimes when the specks come out, they will jump back onto my skin, just like they have an electric charge or something,” said Bauer, describing symptoms that sound more like science fiction than illness. “It’s such a painful disease, sometimes almost like needles poking into my skin.”
With symptoms that include intense skin and muscle pain, skin lesions, extreme fatigue, cognitive difficulties and crawling or biting sensations under the skin, Bauer is among those who believe they have a mysterious illness they refer to as Morgellons disease.
There is some argument in the medical community over whether it’s a real disease, a delusion, or simply an unsolved mystery.
To find some answers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last year it would look into the condition and conduct a clinical research study. Plans have not been finalized.
To respond to inquiries from those who believe they have Morgellons-like symptoms, the CDC has set up a Morgellons information and voicemail line.
Advocate groups, such as the Morgellons Research Foundation, have been organized, and independent research is being done at Oklahoma State University and the State University of New York.
“Our goal is to find out what’s causing this disease, how it’s spread, and to find a cure,” said Ken Cowles, spokesman for the Morgellons Research Foundation.
“We have cases in every state, but more are located in Florida, Texas and California.”
More than 9,000 households are registered with the foundation, and many have multiple family members who are affected, Cowles said.
- Source: Morgellons: a mystery under the skin, Kathy Carrier, The Grand Rapids Press, Mar. 13, 2007
Morgellons Disease Help
If you suspect that you may have Morgellons Disease, Carrier suggests the following approach:
- To learn more about Morgellons or to report suspected cases, call the CDC Morgellons information and voicemail line at (404) 718-1199.
- Find a caring health-care team: Establish a relationship with a physician who acknowledges your concerns and does a thorough examination.
- Be patient: Before considering a diagnosis of Morgellons, your doctor will most likely look for known conditions with proven treatment options.
- Keep an open mind: There may be many causes for your symptoms. Follow your doctor’s recommendations for treatment.
- Treatment for other conditions: Seek treatment for depression, anxiety, or other conditions that may affect mood, behavior or thinking.
