August 2005
Ekbom Syndrome
Ron Box put together an interesting story for the CPCO Advantage magazine that services the PCO market. It outlines the experience this industry has with the syndrome. An internet search of the subject may define the syndrome as “lazy leg” syndrome or “restless leg” syndrome. One will also find mention of delusory parasitosis. Over the years, this syndrome seems to be increasing and especially since 9/11 as it seems linked with overall stress levels.
Ekbom syndrome is the unshakable belief that some type of arthropod pest is living on or in a person’s body/skin. Though there is no supportive factual evidence for the syndrome, there is somewhat of pattern. Most cases involve women, and most are elderly. Most have recently experienced a traumatic change in lifestyle (loss of mate or loved one), have lost lifetime jobs, have alternate lifestyles, have a higher economic position and are above average intelligence.
Unfortunately, when these people present to a physician, the health care worker is often less than sympathetic when no causative agent is found, and sometimes agree with the patient that indeed they have only been bitten by some spider or insect. This serves to strengthen the patient’s belief that he/she is being attached by creatures. Some other signs and symptoms include:
Match Box Syndrome - securing of specimens for you to examine, generally pieces of skin, lint, fabric, but nothing that resembles an arthropod.
Statements such as: “You can’t see them unless they are in water.”
The person has immersed themselves or household in homemade remedies, such as dusting boric acid over the entire house or bathing in pesticide.
They have mutilated themselves due to excessive scratching or “removal” of the bugs.
They have done extensive searching on skin parasites and have committed case histories to memory.
Obviously, there are things in the environment that can truly cause skin irritation, such as lotion or drug use, fungal infection, vitamin B deficiency, chicken pox, shingles, and electrostatically charged pieces of lint in the air. But when nothing meaningful is found, the person servicing somebody with Ekbom syndrome needs to have some appropriate answers. In addition to asking questions about pets and setting up surveillance traps, the service person is also advised to be professional and polite. The service person should not treat if there is no reason to do so. There is someone who is currently working on a doctoral dissertation that is researching this subject. Her name is Sarah Bione and she is working at UGA. She would like to talk to these people at (706) 542-9033. (CPCO Advantage, July 2005).
