Follow-Up on Morgellons Research

Earlier this year many resources, including Health News, was reporting on a CDC study of a skin condition identified as Morgellons Disease. The condition was not described and recognized until 2002 and has since been the subject of investigation, study and discussion.

Mary Leitao’s two-year-old son developed sores under his lip in 2001. He complained of "bugs." Lietao examined the sores and found "bundles of fibers" in red, blue, black and white. (See image of Morgellons lesion, right) Multiple doctors could not find any disease, allergy or other explanation for his symptoms. Her son developed more sores with protruding fibers. Leitao, a trained biologist, named the condition Morgellons Disease from a description advanced by Sir Thomas Browne in 1690. There is no known link between the two conditions.

In July 2006, the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology published a discussion on Morgellons co-authored by Leitao and two other members of the MRF (Morgellons Research Foundation). A New Scientist article published in September 2007 noted that the condition extends to Europe and Australia.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in January 2008, that an investigation would be conducted to determine the reality of the unexplained skin lesions that do not heal and other symptoms. Some doctors question whether Morgellons is a real medical condition and some patients have been diagnosed as having delusions or other mind created illness.

Morgellons is a controversial disease with varying opinions advanced by health professionals including:
o    The belief that Morgellons is a specific condition which will be confirmed with continuing research.
o    The belief that the disease is caused by another condition, likely mental illness.
o    Reserving judgment until more is known about the condition

Some individuals who have sought treatment for the symptoms say they have been ignored or described as delusional. Doctors say that some people who report signs and symptoms typically resist other explanations for their condition.

The CDC said that the investigation may take as much as a year, and the study is lead by the CDC but is being conducted by the Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Research Division because they have a large proportion of the population in that area and will be able to determine the rates of the disease. Kaiser Permanente also has electronic health records on all of their participants which will allow a systematic method of determining persons who have this condition.

It is recognized that patients are going through real suffering, but without a solid patient base to study, the causes and possible treatments for the disease cannot be found. Some of the symptoms listed by sufferers include:
o    Skin rashes and lesions that do not heal
o    Fiber-like filaments, granules or crystals that appear on or under the skin or that can be extracted from the lesions
o    Joint, muscle and connective tissue pain, including fibromyalgia
o    Debilitating fatigue
o    Cognitive dysfunction, including difficulty with concentration, short-term memory and attention span

The 2007 Atlas of Human Parasitology states: "Given the large numbers of individuals who feel that they have this affliction, it will be most helpful over the coming years to have a valid scientific assessment of Morgellons disease and its possible etiology (or etiologies)."

If the CDC estimate of a year for the study is correct there may be some solid answers for this baffling condition in the early part of 2009.