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Delusions of infestation

MedGen UID:
639817
•Concept ID:
C0549153
•
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Synonym: Ekbom's syndrome
SNOMED CT: Delusions of infestation (238974009)
 
HPO: HP:5200426

Definition

A persistent belief that a person is infested with living or non-living pathogens, such as parasites, insects, or bugs, when no such infestation is present. [from HPO]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVDelusions of infestation

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Delusions of infestation: treatment by depot injections of neuroleptics.
Frithz A
Clin Exp Dermatol 1979 Dec;4(4):485-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.1979.tb01645.x. PMID: 535177

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Association Between Delusions of Infestation and Prescribed Narcotic and Stimulant Use.
Zhu TH, Werchan IA, Escamilla KV, Sebastian K, Hovinga CA, Reichenberg JS
J Psychiatr Pract 2018 Nov;24(6):428-431. doi: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000338. PMID: 30395552
Delusional infestation: a case series from a university dermatology center in São Paulo, Brazil.
Martins AC, Mendes CP, Nico MM
Int J Dermatol 2016 Aug;55(8):864-8. Epub 2015 Oct 16 doi: 10.1111/ijd.13004. PMID: 26475644
Delusions of infestation. Delusional parasitosis may occur on its own or as a complication of another disorder.
Harv Ment Health Lett 2011 Aug;28(2):6. PMID: 21980634
The frequency of shared delusions in delusions of infestation.
Musalek M, Kutzer E
Eur Arch Psychiatry Neurol Sci 1990;239(4):263-6. doi: 10.1007/BF01738581. PMID: 2138550
MAO inhibitors in mental disease: their current status.
Dowson JH
J Neural Transm Suppl 1987;23:121-38. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-8901-6_8. PMID: 3295114

Diagnosis

Association Between Delusions of Infestation and Prescribed Narcotic and Stimulant Use.
Zhu TH, Werchan IA, Escamilla KV, Sebastian K, Hovinga CA, Reichenberg JS
J Psychiatr Pract 2018 Nov;24(6):428-431. doi: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000338. PMID: 30395552
Delusional infestation: the case for improved mental state testing.
O'Connell JE, Jackson HJ
Australas Psychiatry 2016 Oct;24(5):462-5. Epub 2016 Apr 13 doi: 10.1177/1039856216641307. PMID: 27076497
Delusional infestation: a case series from a university dermatology center in São Paulo, Brazil.
Martins AC, Mendes CP, Nico MM
Int J Dermatol 2016 Aug;55(8):864-8. Epub 2015 Oct 16 doi: 10.1111/ijd.13004. PMID: 26475644
Delusions of infestation. Delusional parasitosis may occur on its own or as a complication of another disorder.
Harv Ment Health Lett 2011 Aug;28(2):6. PMID: 21980634
Coexistence of the delusions of infestation and body smell in schizophrenia: a case report.
Tényi T, Trixler M
Psychopathology 1993;26(5-6):292-3. doi: 10.1159/000284836. PMID: 8190850

Therapy

Association Between Delusions of Infestation and Prescribed Narcotic and Stimulant Use.
Zhu TH, Werchan IA, Escamilla KV, Sebastian K, Hovinga CA, Reichenberg JS
J Psychiatr Pract 2018 Nov;24(6):428-431. doi: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000338. PMID: 30395552
Risperidone in the treatment of delusions of infestation.
De León OA, Furmaga KM, Canterbury AL, Bailey LG
Int J Psychiatry Med 1997;27(4):403-9. doi: 10.2190/JJY8-P3YW-MN9Y-WBTX. PMID: 9565735
Coexistence of the delusions of infestation and body smell in schizophrenia: a case report.
Tényi T, Trixler M
Psychopathology 1993;26(5-6):292-3. doi: 10.1159/000284836. PMID: 8190850
MAO inhibitors in mental disease: their current status.
Dowson JH
J Neural Transm Suppl 1987;23:121-38. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-8901-6_8. PMID: 3295114
Delusions of infestation treated by pimozide: a double-blind crossover clinical study.
Hamann K, Avnstorp C
Acta Derm Venereol 1982;62(1):55-8. PMID: 6175138

Prognosis

Delusional infestation: a case series from a university dermatology center in São Paulo, Brazil.
Martins AC, Mendes CP, Nico MM
Int J Dermatol 2016 Aug;55(8):864-8. Epub 2015 Oct 16 doi: 10.1111/ijd.13004. PMID: 26475644
Delusional infestations: case series, differential diagnoses, and management strategies.
Diaz JH, Nesbitt LT Jr
J La State Med Soc 2014 Jul-Aug;166(4):154-9. Epub 2014 Aug 12 PMID: 25311458
Delusions of infestation. Delusional parasitosis may occur on its own or as a complication of another disorder.
Harv Ment Health Lett 2011 Aug;28(2):6. PMID: 21980634
The frequency of shared delusions in delusions of infestation.
Musalek M, Kutzer E
Eur Arch Psychiatry Neurol Sci 1990;239(4):263-6. doi: 10.1007/BF01738581. PMID: 2138550
Delusions of infestation treated with pimozide: a follow-up study.
Lindskov R, Baadsgaard O
Acta Derm Venereol 1985;65(3):267-70. PMID: 2411090

Clinical prediction guides

Delusional infestation is typically comorbid with other psychiatric diagnoses: review of 54 patients receiving psychiatric evaluation at Mayo Clinic.
Hylwa SA, Foster AA, Bury JE, Davis MD, Pittelkow MR, Bostwick JM
Psychosomatics 2012 May-Jun;53(3):258-65. Epub 2012 Mar 27 doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2011.11.003. PMID: 22458994
Monosymptomatic delusions of parasitosis associated with ischemic cerebrovascular disease.
Flynn FG, Cummings JL, Scheibel J, Wirshing W
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1989 Jul-Sep;2(3):134-9. doi: 10.1177/089198878900200303. PMID: 2590374

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