There are times when people feel like bugs, worms or mites are crawling, biting, or burrowing on their bodies. In most cases they can be easily detected and taken care of, but other cases may not be so simple.
If you find yourself, or a loved one, suffering from these sensations without visual verification of a pest organism, please read UC ANR’s Delusory Parasitosis: What’s Attacking Me? publication for help and treatment guidance.
The problem may indeed be a parasite of some sort; however, the physical symptoms may be an indication of unrelated medical conditions. Medical conditions that are known to have itching, crawling, or burrowing sensations as a symptom include:
- Stress
- Reactions to use or abuse of prescription or illicit drugs, particularly methamphetamines
- Allergic sensitivity to nonliving substances in your environment (e.g., office paper dust is a well-known example)
- Dry skin
- Mechanical irritants, such as fiberglass filaments
- Skin cancers
- Vitamin, protein, or other diet deficiencies
- Diabetes mellitus
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Delusory parasitosis
In an attempt to find or treat the source of their symptoms, some people may make the problem worse, or even create new problems. Typical self-help activities people turn to alleviate this problem are the use of unconventional and sometimes highly toxic compounds on their bodies, and creating skin wounds.
Additional resources can be found on the UC Davis Human Skin Parasites & Delusional Parasitosis website.
