Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Delusion of parasitosis is an unshakeable conviction that small organisms or parasites infest the body even though there is no confirmative physical evidence. Since 1938, when K.A. Ekbom described and named "Dermatozoenwahn" for the first time, this clinical feature has focussed the interest of researchers due to the uncertainty on its nosologic classification. We report three cases of delusions of parasitosis in patients who suffered from schizophrenia, monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis and major depression with psychotic features respectively. We throw into relief the essential aspects of aetiology, treatment and nosologic classification of the syndrome.
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PMID:[Parasitic delusions: literature review and report of new cases]. 809 66

Delusions of parasitosis are usually a monosymptomatic dermatopsychiatric disorder manifested by the fixed false belief that insects are crawling over the body producing an intractable itch. Also known as parasitophobia, this disease can also be associated with other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorders. In most cases, the delusion is encapsulated and other mental functions remain intact. Parasitophobia is usually seen in middle-aged women and has proven a vexing problem for dermatologists to treat because patients are often reluctant to obtain a psychiatric consultation and wary of taking antipsychotic or antidepressant medication. Four patients with this disorder illustrate the problem, provide a new approach to understanding the precipitating factors in the onset of the disease, and permit the introduction of a previously undescribed therapy, escitalopram (Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceuticals, New York, NY), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with less side effects than the previously favored therapy with pimozide.
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PMID:Tales of bugs, delusions of parasitosis, and what to do. 1909 59