Citation

Squires JE, Squires RH. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 2010; 51(3): 248-253.

Affiliation

Division of Child Advocacy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/MPG.0b013e3181e33b15

PMID

20639771

Abstract

In 1977, Roy Meadow, a pediatric nephrologist, first described a condition he subsequently coined Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The classic form involves a parent or other caregiver who inflicts injury or induces illness in a child, deceives the treating physician with fictitious or exaggerated information, and perpetrates the trickery for months or years. A related form of pathology is more insidious and more common but also damaging. It involves parents who fabricate or exaggerate symptoms of illness in children, causing overly aggressive medical evaluations and interventions. The common thread is that the treating physician plays a role in inflicting the abuse upon the child. Failure to recognize the problem is common because the condition is often not included in the differential diagnosis of challenging or confusing clinical problems. We believe that a heightened "self-awareness" of the physician's role in Munchausen syndrome by proxy will prevent or reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this diagnosis. In addition, we believe contemporary developments within the modern health care system likely facilitate this condition.

Language: en