MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME NOT AN UNCOMMON CONDITION

Munchausen Syndrome

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Every doctor in his life encounters two or three patients whose entire existence is devoted to obtain hospital admission by an accurate simulation or exaggeration of their symptoms. There are individuals who are misusing the hospitals since the hospitals have existed for the collective care of patients. Medical literature from many countries is full of stories of such adventurous persons. This condition remained nameless until Asher [1,2] in 1951 described a group of such patients who, like the famous Baron Von Munchausen have always traveled widely and their stories like those attributed to him were both dramatic and untruthful’. This fictitious disorder occurs mainly in early adult life, is more among men and is usually encountered in a dramatic manner in the emergency department. These patients have a history of repeated hospitalizations extending over years so that they seem to have adopted the role of patient as a career. There is gross lying (pseudologia fantastica), which comprises of giving false medical histories and false names. They may interfere with the diagnostic investigations and may obstruct the efforts to obtain information about their illness. They invariably discharge themselves from the ward prematurely. The etiology and long-term outcome are unknown [3]. Following case reports are intended to further highlight this subject.

Every doctor in his life encounters two or three patients whose entire existence is devoted to obtain hospital admission by an accurate simulation or exaggeration of their symptoms. There are individuals who are misusing the hospitals since the hospitals have existed for the collective care of patients. Medical literature from many countries is full of stories of such adventurous persons. This condition remained nameless until Asher [1,2] in 1951 described a group of such patients who, like the famous Baron Von Munchausen have always traveled widely and their stories like those attributed to him were both dramatic and untruthful’. This fictitious disorder occurs mainly in early adult life, is more among men and is usually encountered in a dramatic manner in the emergency department. These patients have a history of repeated hospitalizations extending over years so that they seem to have adopted the role of patient as a career. There is gross lying (pseudologia fantastica), which comprises of giving false medical histories and false names. They may interfere with the diagnostic investigations and may obstruct the efforts to obtain information about their illness. They invariably discharge themselves from the ward prematurely. The etiology and long-term outcome are unknown [3]. Following case reports are intended to further highlight this subject.