Two Cases of Gastrointestinal Delusional Parasitosis Presenting as Folie á Deux

Rinad Ramzi Tabbalat; Nicolas Vital Cal; Kavya Kelagere Mayigegowda; David John Desilets

doi:10.14309/crj.0000000000000183

Two Cases of Gastrointestinal Delusional Parasitosis Presenting as Folie á Deux

ACG Case Rep J. 2019 Aug 23;6(8):e00183. doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000000183. eCollection 2019 Aug.

Authors

Rinad Ramzi Tabbalat¹, Nicolas Vital Cal², Kavya Kelagere Mayigegowda¹, David John Desilets²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA.
² Department of Gastroenterology, Baystate Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA.

Abstract

Delusional parasitosis is a psychiatric illness in which patients believe that they are infested by parasites without any evidence to support this belief. Cases typically involve cutaneous manifestations. We present 2 cases of gastrointestinal delusional parasitosis, with one unfortunate fatal outcome. Our main goal is to highlight the importance of early recognition of this disease to facilitate appropriate management. Delusional infestation is considered a somatic delusional disorder, and first-line treatment involves the use of atypical antipsychotics, as recommended by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition.

Publication types

Case Reports