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Munchausen syndrome
A syndrome applied to patients who fabricate detailed & convincing histories of complicated & serious disease. They may undergo extensive & invasive diagnostic testing & surgeries which fail to reveal any serious pathology. Motivation for this behavior is poorly understood.
Another form of the syndrome is Munchausen syndrome by proxy. In this case, the caregiver (generally the mother) fabricates signs & symptoms of disease & allows unnecessary investigation even invasive procedures, occasionally resulting in adverse outcomes.
General
syndrome
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 26th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1995
- DeGowin & DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination, 6th edition,
RL DeGowin (ed), McGraw Hill, NY 1994, pg 913