Le délire de parasitose ou syndrome d'Ekbom

Ait-Ameur, A.; Bern, P.; Firoloni, M.P.; Menecier, Pascal

doi:10.1016/s0248-8663(00)88248-x

Cited by 24 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Visual or tactile hallucinations consistent with thought content can accompany the delusions. DP is typically observed in women over the age of 50 although isolated cases among men have been reported [1-3]. It can be classified as primary or secondary according to etiology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delusional parasitosis with hyperthyroidism in an elderly woman: a case report

et al. 2013

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IntroductionDelusional parasitosis is a rare, monosymptomatic psychosis involving a delusion of being infested with parasites. It is commonly observed among female patients over the age of 50. It is classified as a ‘delusional disorder’ according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases and as a ‘delusional disorder - somatic type’ according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition. Delusional parasitosis was reported to be associated with physical disorders such as hypoparathyroidism, Huntington’s chorea and Alzheimer’s disease, among others. Other than vitamin deficiencies however, a causal relationship has not to date been identified. We present this case due to the rarity of Turkish patients with this condition, its duration of follow-up, and its temporal pattern of symptoms paralleling thyroid function tests.Case presentationOur patient was a 70-year-old white Anatolian Turkish woman with primary school education who had been living alone for the past five years. She presented to our psychiatry department complaining of ‘feeling large worms moving in her body’. The complaints started after she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, increased when she did not use her thyroid medications and remitted when she was compliant with treatment. She was treated with pimozide 2mg/day for 20 months and followed-up without any antipsychotic treatment for an additional nine months. At her last examination, she was euthyroid, not receiving antipsychotics and was not having any delusions.ConclusionAlthough endocrine disorders, including hyperthyroidism, are listed among the etiological factors contributing to secondary delusional parasitosis, as far as we are aware this is the first case demonstrating a temporal pattern of thyroid hyperfunction and delusions through a protracted period of follow-up. It may be that the treatment of delusional parasitosis depends on clarifying the etiology and that atypical antipsychotics may help in the management of primary delusional parasitosis. Further studies on the relationship between thyroid hormones and dopaminergic neurotransmission may be warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delusional parasitosis with hyperthyroidism in an elderly woman: a case report

et al. 2013

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“…Les premières descriptions cliniques de cas de croyance d'infestation cutanée par des insectes remonte au IXXème siècle, avec des terminologies différentes, telles que “l'acarophobie” de Thibierge (1894), et la « nevrodermie parasitophobique » de Perrin (1896) [ 6 ]. Mais, C'est à K. Ekbom (1938) [ 7 ], que revient le mérite de la description princeps de ce syndrome.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Délire dermatozoïque: à propos d’un cas

Masmoudi¹,

Féki²,

Rim³

et al. 2013

Pan Afr Med J

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Le délire dermatozoïque est un délire particulier survenant chez les personnes âgées et caractérisé par la présence d'un délire hallucinatoire essentiellement cénesthésique, avec la conviction d’être infesté par des petites bêtes. Ce délire aboutit à des lésions de grattage pouvant être graves, mais sans aucune étiologie organique, et leurrant souvent le dermatologue. Notre observation est originale, par le fait que le patient a été adressé par un ophtalmologue, et faisant étendre le champ du diagnostic à plusieurs spécialités, s'occupant des patients âgés. il s'agit d'un patient âgé de 67 ans, ayant présenté da façon concomitante à une intervention chirurgicale et au mariage de son dernier fils, un délire hallucinatoire avec une conviction d’être attaqué par des moustiques lui suçant le sang. Des lésions d'excoriation cutanée ont été secondaires à ce délire, et ont été à l'origine d'une consultation psychiatrique. L’évolution après six mois de traitement a été marquée par l'enkystement du délire et l'amélioration des lésions cutanées. Réputé rare, le délire dermatozoïque pourrait être déroutant si on ne fait pas le diagnostic positif. Tout clinicien peut être confronté dans sa pratique à ce type de syndrome. Sa compréhension facilite une prise en charge adéquate, basée essentiellement sur un soutien psychologique et un traitement neuroleptique.

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“…Über den Einsatz dieser Substanz bei DW wurde bisher nur in Einzelfällen berichtet [1,9,20]. Ähnliches Material hatte der Patient schon an mehrere tropenmedizinische Institute geschickt.…”

Section: Ein Fall Von Dermatozoenwahn Bei Schwerer Herzinsuffizienzunclassified

Ein Fall von Dermatozoenwahn bei schwerer Herzinsuffizienz

Freudenmann¹

2003

Der Nervenarzt

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The case of a 73-year-old male with delusions of parasitosis (DP) is presented. He complained about severe itching of the limbs and the genital region as well as abnormal body and pubic hair that he believed to be parasites. The symptoms occurred over the course of several years together with severe heart diseases (New York Heart Association class III, atrial fibrillation, tricuspid regurgitation) and chronic edema of the lower leg. The pruritus was also based on chronic, self-induced skin lesions due to aggressive disinfection and tearing out of body hair. After ruling out true infection, a multimodal DP therapy was initiated. Instead of the standard neuroleptic drug pimozide, olanzapine was used because of its better tolerability in patients with increased cardiac risk (i.e., borderline prolonged QTc time). At discharge, the DP had partially remitted. Substantial improvement in the heart and skin diseases under specific treatment contributed substantially to the success of the therapeutic regimen. This case hints at (1) the effectiveness of olanzapine in DP and (2) the importance of general medical conditions in the therapeutic approach to DP.

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Le délire de parasitose ou syndrome d'Ekbom

Cited by 24 publications

References 13 publications

Delusional parasitosis with hyperthyroidism in an elderly woman: a case report

Delusional parasitosis with hyperthyroidism in an elderly woman: a case report

Délire dermatozoïque: à propos d’un cas

Ein Fall von Dermatozoenwahn bei schwerer Herzinsuffizienz

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