Acute Onset Capgras Syndrome After Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Case Report on the Possible Role of Inflammation and Drug Exposure

Background: Capgras syndrome (CS) is a rare delusional disorder characterized by the delusional belief that a relative has been replaced by an identical person. This syndrome is frequently associated with psychotic disorders and neurological diseases. Case presentation: In this case report, we describe a 42-year-old woman who developed Capgras syndrome following a severe upper respiratory tract infection. The patient believed that her husband had been replaced by another person and was diagnosed with Capgras syndrome after psychiatric evaluation.Paliperidone was started as treatment but only partial improvement in delusions was achieved . It is thought that the infection and the drugs used may have played a role in the emergence of the syndrome. Conclusion: The etiology and treatment of Capgras syndrome are still unclear and more studies are needed. This case contributes to the limited literature on Capgras syndrome by highlighting a potential temporal link between an acute upper respiratory tract infection, medication exposure, and the onset of delusional misidentification.