Pathology in Senile Patients with Abnormal Body Sensation

Background: Senile people tend to develop abnormal body sensations such as delusion of parasitosis. To discuss the pathology of senile abnormal body sensation, we studied patients with abnormal body sensation, cenesthopathy, and delusion of parasitosis and investigated their age and gender. Methods: The subjects were a mix of patients reported in Japan and our patients. They were classified into two groups; Group 1 were those with a condition considered to be a somatoform disorder and Group 2 were those with a delusion of parasitosis and chronic tactile hallucinosis. Results: Group 1 consisted of 29 patients aged 46.4±9.6 years; the male:female ratio was 1:4.8. Group 2 consisted of 51 patients aged 65.8±9.4 years; the male:female ratio was 1:1.125. Conclusion: Based on the age tendency characteristics, Group 1 was called the involutional group and Group 2 the senile group. The age and gender distribution in the involutional group (Group 1) may be related mainly to climacteric disorders and suggested some influences of climacteric changes on the appearance of abnormal body sensation. On the other hand, the pathology in the senile group (Group 2) appeared to be associated with senile organic changes in addition to climacteric changes and sensory changes of skin and mucosal area during the involutional period.