Symptoms of Munchausenâ€™s syndrome

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A |

| B |

| C |

| D |

| E |

| F |

| G |

| H |

| I |

| J |

| K |

| L |

| M |

| N |

| O |

| P |

| Q |

| R |

| S |

| T |

| U |

| V |

| W |

| X |

| Y |

Munchausen's syndrome is a psychiatric problem, associated with severe emotional difficulties. People with Munchausens fake an acute illness that often requires hospital treatment and they are often knowledgeable about medical terms and diseases. They often show aggressive behavior toward health professionals when the truth of the symptoms is challenged.

Production of signs and symptoms can include:

Lying about symptoms (fabrication) (for example that they have had seizures or blackouts);
Forcing incorrect diagnosis or results (for example reporting pain when the abdomen is investigated, when no pain is truly present, or by adding blood to urine samples);
Production of the disease (for example by taking thyroid hormones or by injecting insulin).

Some individuals will have many scars from repeated investigative surgery. They will often have a long history of unexplained illness, although they will often alternate doctors, hospitals and surgeries to avoid detection.

The signs and symptoms for Fabricated or Induced Illness are similar to those of Munchausen's Syndrome:

Lying about symptoms (fabrication), including lying about records and tests. Symptoms most commonly reported include bleeding, breathing difficulties, seizures, and fever.
Withholding food, leading to a failure to thrive.
Producing non-life-threatening symptoms. Scratching and deliberating injuring the skin can produce dermatitis; poking with a small instrument can produce chronic discharge from the ears and vagina; and pushing the fingers down the childâ€™s throat may induce vomiting.
Low toxicity poisoning with substances such as laxatives, producing symptoms that may include diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration.
High toxicity poisoning with substances such as insulin, salt, bleach or barbiturates. These can produce symptoms including coma, seizures, breathing problems, and bleeding.
Life-threatening events, such as smothering, to produce symptoms.