Sunday, June 22, 2008

Kaiser Permanente and CDC Collaborate in Mogellons Study

Article from the National Lyme Report

By Miguel Perez-Lizano

Morgellons is a disease that has garnered widespread attention in the past few years. The cause of the disease is unknown. The most significant aspect of the disease is the growth of multicolored fibers erupting from lesions in the skin. Many patients with Morgellons also have documented Lyme disease, and Morgellons patients typically have symptom overlap with Lyme disease.

This disease is not a new disease. In the past doctors have dismissed Morgellons sufferers with a diagnosis of delusional parasitosis – a psychiatric condition in which a patient believes parasites are crawling in their bodies. I know one Morgellons sufferer who is an intelligent, normal professional and was given this diagnosis. Dismissive use of the term “delusional parasitosis” should be a red flag that signifies the uninformed, uncaring doctors who parrot this diagnosis to hide their ignorance and laziness.

The Centers for Disease Control has awarded Kaiser Permanente a grant to study Morgellons in their patient population in Northern California. The CDC uses Kaiser for studies because of their captive member base. All, or most, records for health care received reside at Kaiser and can be retrieved. In addition, patients included in clinical trials can be easily tracked. This also avoids the expense of enrolling people in clinical trials or studies.

Read the rest of the article here