No abstract

A patient with a three-month history of persistent delusions of infestation presented to the emergency department with suicidal ideation secondary to complaints of worsening pruritus. Routine investigations failed to disclose any underlying organic cause for her pruritic sensations. The patient ascribed these to a parasitic infestation acquired following a brief stay at her maternal aunt’s residence. Following a thorough psychiatric assessment and collateral history obtained from her aunt, it became clear that both the patient and her aunt held similar delusions of infestation. Her aunt was found to be the main inducer. The patient was admitted, successfully treated with low-dose quetiapine, and eventually deemed fit for discharge. Delusional parasitosis and folie à deux are both rare conditions that may sometimes co-occur.

Porokeratosis describes a heterogenic group of keratinization disorders in which lesions are papules and plaques that demonstrate central atrophy surrounded by a hyperkeratotic margin. Clinical variants include not only porokeratosis of Mibelli, but also disseminated superficial, disseminated actinic superficial, linear, punctate, and palmaris et plantaris disseminata. Porokeratosis has a risk of malignant transformation. A woman with disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) whose lesions presented as pruritic plaques and papules is described. The diagnosis was suspected clinically, supported by dermoscopy findings, and confirmed histologically. The condition-associated pruritus was managed symptomatically; her skin lesions will be monitored clinically. Clinical manifestations, dermatoscopic features, pathology findings, and treatment options for DSAP are summarized.