Mohammad Akhoundi, Nicolas Bosc, Emma Benamari, Sophie Brun, Rémy Durand, Arezki Izri
{"title":"Delusional infestation syndrome: first retrospective study on a case series in France.","authors":"Mohammad Akhoundi, Nicolas Bosc, Emma Benamari, Sophie Brun, Rémy Durand, Arezki Izri","doi":"10.1093/ced/llaf115","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Delusional infestation (DI) is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by a persistent, false belief of being infested by parasites.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We sought to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with DI.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a retrospective study of 47 patients with DI who were referred to a hospital in Paris, France, between 2009 and 2024.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our study included 32 women and 15 men, indicating that DI occurs more frequently in women than men. The majority of affected individuals were between 41 and 80 years of age. All patients exhibited the 'matchbox sign', with symptoms such as distress, anxiety and insomnia also frequently recorded. The occurrence of DI was not influenced by a patient's occupation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Healthcare workers should be aware of DI, its diagnosis and appropriate treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":10324,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Dermatology","volume":" ","pages":"1566-1570"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical and Experimental Dermatology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llaf115","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"DERMATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Delusional infestation (DI) is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by a persistent, false belief of being infested by parasites.
Objectives: We sought to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with DI.
Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 47 patients with DI who were referred to a hospital in Paris, France, between 2009 and 2024.
Results: Our study included 32 women and 15 men, indicating that DI occurs more frequently in women than men. The majority of affected individuals were between 41 and 80 years of age. All patients exhibited the 'matchbox sign', with symptoms such as distress, anxiety and insomnia also frequently recorded. The occurrence of DI was not influenced by a patient's occupation.
Conclusions: Healthcare workers should be aware of DI, its diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
期刊介绍:
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology (CED) is a unique provider of relevant and educational material for practising clinicians and dermatological researchers. We support continuing professional development (CPD) of dermatology specialists to advance the understanding, management and treatment of skin disease in order to improve patient outcomes.