Demystifying Morgellons Disease

Abstract

Morgellons disease is an understudied complex of physical and psychological symptoms that requires further research because medical authorities have diagnosed and treated patients’ symptoms as delusional. In contrast, other studies have demonstrated a connection between the hallmark subcutaneous fibers and spirochetal infection. The literature includes case reports of Morgellons treated as delusional infestation with antipsychotic drugs to a certain degree of success, reinforcing the thesis of Morgellons as a purely psychological disease but not addressing the etiology of the somatic symptoms. An under-designed CDC study has similarly concluded that no single joint infectious agent exists in Morgellons disease patients. However, other small sample size case reports identified a common microorganism, Borrelia, and concluded it could cause symptoms as a single species of a more extensive polymicrobial infection. Much literature exists discussing the difficulty in diagnosing polymicrobial infections and the role that they may play in neurodegenerative diseases. This literature review aims to find common ground between these seemingly opposing schools of thought by demonstrating that their findings are not mutually exclusive. The efficacy of antipsychotic drugs does not exclude the possibility of Morgellons having organic pathophysiology. Similarly, studies demonstrating a lack of a single common microorganism in Morgellons patients do not prove that Morgellons disease is not infectious in origin. Establishing that these theories coexist is the aim of this review and demonstrating that further studies, case reports, and clinical trials are necessary to develop a common diagnosis and effective treatments.