Morgellons is a medical condition that has been causing controversy and confusion among healthcare professionals for several years.

Unexplained fiber-like structures are emerging from the skin, and this has led to Morgellons being classed by some as a psychiatric disorder. However, advocates for those who suffer from Morgellons claim that the symptoms are very real, and those affected need the medical community to take them seriously.

What is Morgellons?

The term Morgellons was coined by an American woman called Mary Leitao, who noticed that her young son had developed strange skin lesions and fibers which seemed to be growing beneath the skin.

These fibers were not consistent with any known type of textile. She named the condition “Morgellons” after a mysterious disease mentioned in the French literature in the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the current context, Morgellons refers to the presence of unusual fibers in the skin, which can cause intense itching, crawling, and biting sensations.

The Controversy Surrounding Morgellons

Morgellons has generated controversy, as those suffering from the condition claim that it is not a psychiatric disorder, but instead is caused by a genuine, albeit poorly understood, physical disease.

Others, including some healthcare professionals, claim that the condition is entirely psychological, and that the fibers found in the skin are simply textiles, environmental contamination, or even the result of self-inflicted wounds.

The Symptoms of Morgellons

Morgellons is characterized by a range of physical and psychological symptoms including:.

Fibers emerging from the skin
Lesions on the skin
Intense itching, crawling, and biting sensations on the skin
Anxiety and depression
Memory loss
Fatigue
Joint pain

While some physicians have dismissed these symptoms as a result of delusional parasitosis, some healthcare professionals have suggested that Morgellons may potentially be a subset of the chronic Lyme disease, a bacterial infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. A 2015 study conducted by Marianne Middelveen and Raphael Stricker showed that Morgellons patients exhibited signs of Borrelia infection, which was not found in control samples that were non-Morgellons.

Theories on the Cause of Morgellons

There is no clear consensus on what is causing the symptoms of Morgellons, and there are a number of competing theories.

Psychological Explanation

Some healthcare practitioners believe that Morgellons is a form of somatic symptom disorder, where patients experience physical symptoms that have no identifiable physical cause.

Patients who experience depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to exhibit symptoms of somatic symptom disorders. Morgellons, in particular, is often linked to the delusional parasitosis – a well-known somatic symptom disorder where patients experience intense itching, resulting in the belief that their skin is infested with parasites.

This theory suggests that this disease is not a physical condition but a psychological one.

Environmental Exposure Theory

Another theory is that Morgellons is the result of exposure to some sort of toxic environmental agent.

Certain chemicals, including organophosphate insecticides, have been suggested as potential causes, as these can create a range of neurological symptoms. Others believe that the fibers found in the skin are the result of contamination by environmental filaments such as cellulose, cotton, flax or synthetic fibers like rayon, nylon, and isocyanates.

However, patients have frequently reported that the fibers are not consistent with any known textiles, so this theory is contentious.

Bacterial Infection Theory

Morgellons has also been suggested to be caused by an unrecognized bacterium that has been confirmed by a few researchers.

Various species of Borrelia, a bacteria typically associated with Lyme disease, have been found in Morgellons patients, and the commonality between Morgellons and chronic Lyme disease has led some researchers to suggest that the two conditions may be related. Some researchers believe that the bacterial infection could play a critical role in the development of the unusual fibers in the skin.

Diagnosing Morgellons

At present, there is little in the way of accepted diagnostic criteria for Morgellons. Patients are often dismissed by healthcare professionals who believe that their symptoms are either self-inflicted or psychological.

Patients are often left with little option but to diagnose themselves and seek out alternative treatments or practitioners who may take their symptoms more seriously. This can result in a delay in diagnosis and produce barriers to effective treatment of other potentially dangerous conditions that have diagnostically similar symptoms.

Treatments

The primary treatment for Morgellons centers around relieving the patient’s symptoms. Patients are frequently given topical creams, antibiotics, and antifungal medications to help reduce itching and prevent infection.

Patients who experience delusional parasitosis may also be given antipsychotic medications. However, there is no treatment that has been fully validated and a standard protocol for the treatment has not been established yet.

Research in cutting-edge fields of nanotechnology, the science of very small machines, is a promising new approach to treat Morgellons, although it is still a work in progress.

Conclusion

Morgellons is an enigma, and unfortunately, there are no clear solutions or treatments for those afflicted with the condition yet.

Until more research is done to better understand the mysterious fibers that cause itching, crawling, and biting sensations, as well as other symptoms, countless people will continue to suffer from this rare and confounding condition.