What Might Cause Morgellan's Disease?

[Wade888]

If you are not familiar with Morgellan's, it is a disease where lesions appear on the skin, and then weird fibers begin to grow out of the lesions.

Some in the medical community seem to think it's a hoax or a self-induced condition due to scratching and such, and that the fibers are just textiles, but spectral analysis by a doctor who is a "believer" rules out both textiles and "organic" (carbon based) compounds.

Any ideas?

I vote for either cancers or unknown viruses (capable of reprogramming cell functions). I think bacteria is a possibility, but it doesn't seem likely because it should have been discovered by now.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Please post links to literature documenting current medical consensus and the spectral analysis work done by this doctor. Without this any discussion is largely dead before it begins. Thanks.

 

[Evo]

Anecdotal stories are not acceptable. Morgellons is not recognized by the medical community as a real disorder.

Results of the study, published in PloS OneExternal Web Site show this condition appears to be uncommon among a population representative of Northern California residents. Skin damage from the sun was the most common skin abnormality found, and no single underlying medical condition or infectious source was identified. Upon thorough analysis, most sores appeared to result from chronic scratching and picking, without an underlying cause. The materials and fibers obtained from skin-biopsy specimens were mostly cellulose, compatible with cotton fibers.

Neuropsychological testing revealed a substantial number of study participants who scored highly in screening tests for one or more co-existing psychiatric or addictive conditions, including depression, somatic concerns (an indicator of preoccupation with health issues), and drug use.

This comprehensive study of an unexplained apparent dermopathy demonstrated no infectious cause and no evidence of an environmental link. There was no indication that it would be helpful to perform additional testing for infectious diseases as a potential cause. Future efforts should focus on helping patients reduce their symptoms through careful attention to treatment of co-existing medical, including psychiatric conditions, that might be contributing to their symptoms.

http://www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/

This condition is not currently recognized as a distinct clinical disorder with established diagnostic criteria that are generally accepted by the medical community and many dermatologists consider the condition to be synonymous with delusional parasitosis (DP). To date, most of what is known about the condition is based on isolated case reports or anecdotal accounts.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0029908#s3