Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report

Salim Said; Kachouchi Aymen; Adali Imane; Manoudi Fatiha; Asri Fatima

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report

Salim Said, Kachouchi Aymen, Adali Imane, Manoudi Fatiha, Asri Fatima

Published in American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 11, Issue 4)

Received: 24 May 2023 Accepted: 10 June 2023 Published: 31 October 2023

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Abstract

Introduction: Delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, is characterized by a patient's fixed belief that one's skin or other parts of the body or one's immediate environment are infested with small living or inanimate pathogens, against all medical evidence for this. The delirium of infestation can however be secondary to a medical pathology, which should be sought. Case report: A 52 year old morrocan women patient who has had paresthesias in her neck and her limbs for two years. She is convinced that she is infested by a parasite that she has been drinking in a glass of water. The evolution has been marked by an accentuation of the symptomatology and recent appearance in a month of an intermittent dysphagia to the solids. The psychiatric assemssment reveals a monothematic delusional syndrome systematized with total adhesion. The patient improved on atypical antipsychotic after eight week of treatment. Conclusion: This case of Ekbom syndrome demonstrates the importance of early management of pruritus or chronic burns and of the search for an underlying organic pathology, a delirium of infestation representing a potential complication. The most important problem is the clinical management of patients because they are often reluctant to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship.

Published in	American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 11, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
Page(s)	73-76
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Ekbom Syndrome, Delirium, Parasitic Infestation

References

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[2]	Enoch D, Ball H. Uncommon psychiatric syndromes. London: Arnold 2001.
[3]	Organisation Mondiale de la Sante (OMS). Classification internationale des maladies. Genève: OMS. 1992; 10ème ed, (CIM-10).
[4]	American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). Washington: APA, 1994.
[5]	Trabert W. 100 years of delusional parasitosis. Psychopathology 1995; 28: 238-46.
[6]	Lepping P, Russel I, Freudenmann RW. Treatment of primary delusional parasitosis Systematic review. British Journal of psychiatry 2007; 191: 198 – 205.
[7]	Freudenmann RW, Lepping P. Delusional infestation. Clin Microbiol Rev 2009.
[8]	Anna Bensussan, Claire Rometti, Dominique Pringuey, Pascal Delaunay, Magalie Hamm-Orlowski, Michel Benoît Le syndrome d'Ekbom. Un modèle psychopathologique, le «typus du contaminé». Annales Médico-psychologiques, revue psychiatrique Volume 177, Issue 10, Décembre 2019, Pages 967-973.
[9]	Bhatia M. S, Jhanjee A, Srivastasa S. Delusional infestation: A clinical profile. Asian journal of psychiatry 2013; 6: 124-127.
[10]	Bourgeois ML. Les délires d'infestation cutanée parasitaire, syndrome d'Ekbom. Annales Médico-Psychologiques. 2011; 169 (3): 143-148.
[11]	A., Y. Mamouni Alaoui, N. Baba, N. Hjira, M. Boui. Le délire d’infestation cutanée à propos d’un cas, avec revue de la littérature. Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie Volume 145, Issue 4, Supplement, May 2018, Page A4.
[12]	Charles Dervout, Florian Stéphane, Laurent Misère. Délire d'infestation parasitaire chez 2 patientes compliquant un prurigo nodulaire secondaire à des neuropathies. Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie – FMC Volume 1, Numéro 8, Supplément 1, décembre 2021, Page A300.
[13]	Huber M, Karner M, Kirchler E, Lepping P, Freudenmann RW. Striatal lesions in delusional parasitosis revealed by magnetic resonance imaging. Prog Neuropsycholopharmacol Biol Pyschiatry 2008; 32 (8): 1967-71.
[14]	Lepping P, Fredenmann RW. Delusional parsitosis: a new pathway for diagnosis and treatment. J Compilation Clin Exp Dermatol 2007; 33: 113–117.
[15]	Hamann K, Avnstorp C. Delusions of infestation treated by pimozide: A double-blind cross-over study. Acta Derm Venereol. 1982; 62: 55-58.
[16]	Freudenmann RW, Lepping P. Second-generation antipsychotics in primary and second delusional parasitosis, outcome and efficacy. J Clin Pharmacol 2008; 28: 500.

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APA Style

Salim Said, Kachouchi Aymen, Adali Imane, Manoudi Fatiha, Asri Fatima. (2023). Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 11(4), 73-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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ACS Style

Salim Said; Kachouchi Aymen; Adali Imane; Manoudi Fatiha; Asri Fatima. Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2023, 11(4), 73-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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AMA Style

Salim Said, Kachouchi Aymen, Adali Imane, Manoudi Fatiha, Asri Fatima. Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2023;11(4):73-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11,
  author = {Salim Said and Kachouchi Aymen and Adali Imane and Manoudi Fatiha and Asri Fatima},
  title = {Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report},
  journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {73-76},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  abstract = {Introduction: Delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, is characterized by a patient's fixed belief that one's skin or other parts of the body or one's immediate environment are infested with small living or inanimate pathogens, against all medical evidence for this. The delirium of infestation can however be secondary to a medical pathology, which should be sought. Case report: A 52 year old morrocan women patient who has had paresthesias in her neck and her limbs for two years. She is convinced that she is infested by a parasite that she has been drinking in a glass of water. The evolution has been marked by an accentuation of the symptomatology and recent appearance in a month of an intermittent dysphagia to the solids. The psychiatric assemssment reveals a monothematic delusional syndrome systematized with total adhesion. The patient improved on atypical antipsychotic after eight week of treatment. Conclusion: This case of Ekbom syndrome demonstrates the importance of early management of pruritus or chronic burns and of the search for an underlying organic pathology, a delirium of infestation representing a potential complication. The most important problem is the clinical management of patients because they are often reluctant to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship.
},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report
AU  - Salim Said
AU  - Kachouchi Aymen
AU  - Adali Imane
AU  - Manoudi Fatiha
AU  - Asri Fatima
Y1  - 2023/10/31
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
T2  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JF  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JO  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
SP  - 73
EP  - 76
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-426X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
AB  - Introduction: Delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, is characterized by a patient's fixed belief that one's skin or other parts of the body or one's immediate environment are infested with small living or inanimate pathogens, against all medical evidence for this. The delirium of infestation can however be secondary to a medical pathology, which should be sought. Case report: A 52 year old morrocan women patient who has had paresthesias in her neck and her limbs for two years. She is convinced that she is infested by a parasite that she has been drinking in a glass of water. The evolution has been marked by an accentuation of the symptomatology and recent appearance in a month of an intermittent dysphagia to the solids. The psychiatric assemssment reveals a monothematic delusional syndrome systematized with total adhesion. The patient improved on atypical antipsychotic after eight week of treatment. Conclusion: This case of Ekbom syndrome demonstrates the importance of early management of pruritus or chronic burns and of the search for an underlying organic pathology, a delirium of infestation representing a potential complication. The most important problem is the clinical management of patients because they are often reluctant to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship.

VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Salim Said

Research Team for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Ibn Nafis University Hospital, Marrakech, Morocco
Kachouchi Aymen

Research Team for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Ibn Nafis University Hospital, Marrakech, Morocco
Adali Imane

Research Team for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Ibn Nafis University Hospital, Marrakech, Morocco
Manoudi Fatiha

Research Team for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Ibn Nafis University Hospital, Marrakech, Morocco
Asri Fatima

Research Team for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Ibn Nafis University Hospital, Marrakech, Morocco

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APA Style

Salim Said, Kachouchi Aymen, Adali Imane, Manoudi Fatiha, Asri Fatima. (2023). Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 11(4), 73-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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ACS Style

Salim Said; Kachouchi Aymen; Adali Imane; Manoudi Fatiha; Asri Fatima. Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2023, 11(4), 73-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

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AMA Style

Salim Said, Kachouchi Aymen, Adali Imane, Manoudi Fatiha, Asri Fatima. Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2023;11(4):73-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11,
  author = {Salim Said and Kachouchi Aymen and Adali Imane and Manoudi Fatiha and Asri Fatima},
  title = {Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report},
  journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {73-76},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20231104.11},
  abstract = {Introduction: Delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, is characterized by a patient's fixed belief that one's skin or other parts of the body or one's immediate environment are infested with small living or inanimate pathogens, against all medical evidence for this. The delirium of infestation can however be secondary to a medical pathology, which should be sought. Case report: A 52 year old morrocan women patient who has had paresthesias in her neck and her limbs for two years. She is convinced that she is infested by a parasite that she has been drinking in a glass of water. The evolution has been marked by an accentuation of the symptomatology and recent appearance in a month of an intermittent dysphagia to the solids. The psychiatric assemssment reveals a monothematic delusional syndrome systematized with total adhesion. The patient improved on atypical antipsychotic after eight week of treatment. Conclusion: This case of Ekbom syndrome demonstrates the importance of early management of pruritus or chronic burns and of the search for an underlying organic pathology, a delirium of infestation representing a potential complication. The most important problem is the clinical management of patients because they are often reluctant to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship.
},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Ekbom Syndrome or Persistent Delirium with Somatic Symptoms: A Case Report
AU  - Salim Said
AU  - Kachouchi Aymen
AU  - Adali Imane
AU  - Manoudi Fatiha
AU  - Asri Fatima
Y1  - 2023/10/31
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
T2  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JF  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JO  - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
SP  - 73
EP  - 76
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-426X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20231104.11
AB  - Introduction: Delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, is characterized by a patient's fixed belief that one's skin or other parts of the body or one's immediate environment are infested with small living or inanimate pathogens, against all medical evidence for this. The delirium of infestation can however be secondary to a medical pathology, which should be sought. Case report: A 52 year old morrocan women patient who has had paresthesias in her neck and her limbs for two years. She is convinced that she is infested by a parasite that she has been drinking in a glass of water. The evolution has been marked by an accentuation of the symptomatology and recent appearance in a month of an intermittent dysphagia to the solids. The psychiatric assemssment reveals a monothematic delusional syndrome systematized with total adhesion. The patient improved on atypical antipsychotic after eight week of treatment. Conclusion: This case of Ekbom syndrome demonstrates the importance of early management of pruritus or chronic burns and of the search for an underlying organic pathology, a delirium of infestation representing a potential complication. The most important problem is the clinical management of patients because they are often reluctant to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship.

VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

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