Table B Review of Systems
From: Morgellons disease, illuminating an undefined illness: a case series
Dermatologic | 24% of patients had dark filaments visibly protruding from the skin‡1 17 out of 25 had frequent skin eruptions/rashes† Just over 50% experienced no movement sensations† Only 50% itched regularly† 72% has angiomata appear | Central Nervous System | Over half had frequent headaches† Over half had unstable visual acuity including double vision (10 out of 25)† 10 out of 25 reported visual “flashes” (not characterized) in either daylight or dark† Emotional liability in half of patients 1/3 reported frequent dizziness |
Metabolic | Average weight gain after onset: 33 lbs† 2 20 out of 25 experienced regular high levels of fatigue† | 1/3 reported permanent hearing loss (degree not determined) 40% reported tinnitus 20 out of 25 reported frequent occurrence of forgetfulness 12 out of 25 had persistent regional skin numbness 6 out of 25 had persistent tremors 25% were intolerant to cold and 25% intolerant to heat (some overlap, but degree undetermined) 10 out of 25 reported sweating inappropriately (either under-or over-sweating) | |
Immune | 12 out of 25 had cyclical fever† 18 out of 25 reported numerous angiomas verified by examination† 10 out of 25 reported many “colds” annually* 8 out of 25 reported “chronic sinusitis”* 4 out of 25 reported frequent sore throats over a period of years* 2 out of 25 reported frequent toothaches* | Endocrine | 8 out of 25 had prior diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis 50% had hypercalcemia, 3 of whom had parathyroid adenomas Fasting insulin levels were elevated in all tested (6 out of 25) Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone (CRH) levels were elevated in all tested |
Musculo-skeletal | 15 out of 25 reported frequent neck pain† 10 out of 25 had persistent limited neck movement† 22 out of 25 had chronic musculoskeletal pain, without arthritis‡ | Gastro-intestinal | 50% had constipation or diarrhea, or both (overlap was common)† 25% had chronic nausea† |
Pain was constant and incapacitating in 1/3 of patients† | Pulmonary | Persistent cough (non-productive, non-wheezing) in 9 out of 25† Persistent dyspnea in 7 out of 25 | |
Emotional | Half reported “anxiety” Half reported frequent mood swings Half reported frequent depression | Other | Urine stream control problems in 6 out of 25 |