Tropical Diseases Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
Int J Infect Dis. 2010 Apr;14(4):e317-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2009.05.018. Epub 2009 Aug 15.
Delusional parasitosis is a syndrome with which most infectious diseases physicians and microbiologists are familiar. However, little is known about the epidemiology of this disorder, and most reports consist of case reports or small series. We conducted a case series with long-term questionnaire follow-up of delusional parasitosis patients presenting to our academic medical center.
From 1994 through 1999, 23 patients with primary delusional parasitosis (as defined by DSM IV criteria) were identified through the Infectious Diseases Clinic or Emergency Room at the University of Washington and cases were analyzed for prospectively established demographic, clinical, and social variables of interest.
Of 23 patients, 15 were women and eight were men. Mean duration (+/- standard deviation) of symptoms was 2.6+/-2.8 years (median 1.5), with shorter duration related to improved prognosis. Mean symptom duration in women was 3.1+/-3.0 years versus 1.5+/-1.5 years in men. Patients saw an average of six physicians before presenting to our center. Reduced social interactions were common, but employment affect was not significant. Treatment with pimozide or gabapentin combined with antidepressants appeared to be effective in some cases.
This is the largest study of primary delusional parasitosis originating from an academic medical center, and highlights the burden of disease borne by patients and the healthcare system.
妄想性寄生虫病是一种综合征，大多数传染病医师和微生物学家都很熟悉。然而，对于这种疾病的流行病学知之甚少，而且大多数报告都是病例报告或小系列报告。我们对在我们学术医疗中心就诊的妄想性寄生虫病患者进行了病例系列研究，并进行了长期问卷调查随访。
1994 年至 1999 年，通过华盛顿大学传染病诊所或急诊室确定了 23 名原发性妄想性寄生虫病（根据 DSM-IV 标准定义）患者，并对其进行了前瞻性分析，以确定感兴趣的人口统计学、临床和社会变量。
23 名患者中，女性 15 例，男性 8 例。症状的平均持续时间（+/-标准偏差）为 2.6+/-2.8 年（中位数为 1.5 年），症状持续时间较短与预后改善相关。女性的平均症状持续时间为 3.1+/-3.0 年，而男性为 1.5+/-1.5 年。患者在就诊前平均看了六名医生。社交互动减少很常见，但就业影响并不显著。匹莫齐特或加巴喷丁联合抗抑郁药治疗在某些情况下似乎有效。
这是一项源自学术医疗中心的最大规模的原发性妄想性寄生虫病研究，强调了患者和医疗保健系统所承受的疾病负担。
