PEDIATRICS Vol. 76 No. 5 November 1985, pp. 855
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Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

STEPHEN H. SHELDON DO, FAAP1

1 Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, 531 Woodbine Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302

To the Editor.—

The article, "Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: An Outpatient Challenge," by Vincent L. Guandolo, MD,1 was read with interest. It was a compelling description of a very worrisome problem for all professionals involved in providing for the welfare of children. Munchausen syndrome by proxy results in multiple hospitalizations and unnecessary painful, invasive, and expensive procedures. The potential consequences warrant accurate early diagnosis, management, and disposition.

Seizures secondary to Munchausen syndrome by proxy may be fictitious (the parent deliberately providing a false history) or may be an actual convulsive episode precipitated by an action of the parent (eg, anoxic seizures secondary to smothering).2 A misdiagnosis of epilepsy is common and consequences range from the persistence of fictitious symptoms into adulthood to death of the child.




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[Abstract] [PDF]