Morgellons disease, illuminating an undefined illness: a case series

Table A Basic Background Data

Demographics	Countries of origin: U.S., U.K., Canada, Japan Male: Female ratio approximates 50:50† Age range: 10-75 years† 24/25 were Caucasian¹ Urban: Rural ratio = 50:50†2	Past medical history	11 out of 25 were diagnosed with bipolar disease‡ 7 out of 25 were diagnosed with adult ADD‡ 1 out of 25 was diagnosed with schizophrenia‡ Common childhood illnesses were absent regardless of vaccination status† 19 out of 25 had been given general anesthesia at least once* 9 out of 25 had prior orthopedic surgery* 6 out of 25 had other prior surgery for chronic inflammatory diseases (appendix, gallbladder)*
Illness History	Time from initiation to full onset: several months† Exposure to unhygienic conditions occurred several days to several weeks prior to illness onset† Patients claimed relative healthiness prior to Morgellons (as initially described) onset; No consistent recognized prodrome heralded onset of the illness† Allergy symptoms were rare† Activating stressor event was present in 1 out of 3 of cases.	Social History	50% were married/ 50% single* 28% were smokers* None routinely exercised*

† Highest relevancy results.
‡ Findings that may help to isolate, identify, and define Morgellons disease.
* Other data.
¹This sample was not adequate to determine whether race is a factor. The high percentage of Caucasian patients was likely related to clinic location. Earlier and subsequent data of larger numbers from more heterogeneous regions suggest that race is likely not a risk factor.
² The urban to rural ratio may be significant. Although only 20% of people live in rural areas, 50% of the patient samples were in rural regions near the onset of their illness, lending support to the hypothesis that exposure to unhygienic conditions or animals may be a risk factor.

ISSN: 1752-1947