Biomaterial Database

[Munchausen syndrome by proxy, an unusual presentation]. 2001

A M Maida, and M E Molina, and R Erazo

Servicio de Neurología y Psiquiatría Infantil, Hospital Luis Calvo Mackenna, Fundación de Prevención de Violencia Intrafamiliar, Antonio Varas 360, Santiago de Chile.

We report a 12 year old girl that first consulted for fever with bilateral knee arthralgias. A neurological workout was started due to a progressive gait disturbance, but all results were incongruent with nerve or nerve root lesions, leading to the diagnosis of a functional paralysis. The patient worsened to the point of prostration. Due to the suspicion that the mother was inducing the symptoms, the patient was admitted to the hospital, where she improved notably. She was discharged walking. The improvement during hospital stay confirmed the diagnosis of a Münchausen by proxy syndrome, mimicking a disabling neurological condition.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010343	Patient Admission	The process of accepting patients. The concept includes patients accepted for medical and nursing care in a hospital or other health care institution.	Voluntary Admission,Admission, Patient,Admission, Voluntary,Admissions, Patient,Admissions, Voluntary,Patient Admissions,Voluntary Admissions
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016735	Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy	A phenomenon in which symptoms of a disease are fabricated by an individual other than the patient causing unnecessary, and often painful, physical examinations and treatments. This syndrome is considered a form of CHILD ABUSE, since another individual, usually a parent, is the source of the fabrication of symptoms and presents the child for medical care.
D020233	Gait Disorders, Neurologic	Gait abnormalities that are a manifestation of nervous system dysfunction. These conditions may be caused by a wide variety of disorders which affect motor control, sensory feedback, and muscle strength including: CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES; PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES; NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES; or MUSCULAR DISEASES.	Ambulation Disorders, Neurologic,Charcot Gait,Charcot's Gait,Duck Gait,Gait Disorder, Sensorimotor,Gait Dysfunction, Neurologic,Gait, Athetotic,Gait, Broadened,Gait, Drop Foot,Gait, Festinating,Gait, Frontal,Gait, Hemiplegic,Gait, Hysterical,Gait, Reeling,Gait, Rigid,Gait, Scissors,Gait, Shuffling,Gait, Spastic,Gait, Stumbling,Gait, Unsteady,Gait, Widebased,Locomotion Disorders, Neurologic,Marche a Petit Pas,Neurologic Ambulation Disorders,Neurologic Locomotion Disorders,Rapid Fatigue of Gait,Sensorimotor Gait Disorder,Ambulation Disorder, Neurologic,Athetotic Gait,Broadened Gait,Charcot Gaits,Charcots Gait,Drop Foot Gait,Festinating Gait,Foot Gait, Drop,Frontal Gait,Gait Disorder, Neurologic,Gait Disorders, Sensorimotor,Gait Dysfunctions, Neurologic,Gait, Charcot,Gait, Charcot's,Gait, Duck,Gaits, Charcot,Hemiplegic Gait,Hysterical Gait,Locomotion Disorder, Neurologic,Neurologic Ambulation Disorder,Neurologic Gait Disorder,Neurologic Gait Disorders,Neurologic Gait Dysfunction,Neurologic Gait Dysfunctions,Neurologic Locomotion Disorder,Reeling Gait,Rigid Gait,Scissors Gait,Sensorimotor Gait Disorders,Shuffling Gait,Shuffling Gaits,Spastic Gait,Stumbling Gait,Unsteady Gait,Widebased Gait