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Delusional parasitosis, or delusory parasitosis, also known as Ekbom's syndrome, is a form of psychosis. Victims acquire a strong delusional belief that they are infested with parasites, whereas in reality no such parasites are present. Often, exposure to household cleaning products can result in a sensation known as formication. This irritation combined with underlying psychiatric or psycho-pharmacological issues can cause delusional parasitosis. The false belief of delusional parasitosis stands in contrast to actual cases of parasitosis, such as scabies and infestation with ''Demodex''. The alternative name of Ekbom's syndrome derives from Swedish neurologist Karl Axel Ekbom, who published seminal accounts of the disease in 1937 and 1938. It is important not to confuse or interchange this with Willis-Ekbom Disease (or WED), another name for restless legs syndrome (RLS). ==Signs and symptoms== Details of delusional parasitosis vary among sufferers, but it is most commonly described as involving perceived parasites crawling upon or burrowing into the skin, sometimes accompanied by an actual physical sensation (known as formication).〔 Sufferers may injure themselves in attempts to be rid of the "parasites". Some are able to induce the condition in others through suggestion, in which case the term ''folie à deux'' may be applicable.〔 Nearly any marking upon the skin, or small object or particle found on the person or his clothing, can be interpreted as evidence for the parasitic infestation, and sufferers commonly compulsively gather such "evidence" and then present it to medical professionals when seeking help.〔 This presenting of "evidence" is known as "the matchbox sign" because the "evidence" is frequently presented in a small container, such as a matchbox.〔 A study conducted of 108 patients at the Mayo Clinic was published in ''Archives of Dermatology'' on May 16, 2011. The study failed to find evidence of skin infestation despite doing skin biopsies and examining specimens provided by the patients. The study, which was conducted between 2001 and 2007, concluded that the feeling of skin infestation was delusional parasitosis. Delusional parasitosis is seen more commonly in women, and the frequency is much higher past the age of 40.〔 Delusory cleptoparasitosis is a form of delusion of parasitosis where the person believes the infestation is in their dwelling, rather than on or in their body. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Delusional parasitosis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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