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Citation |
Tamay Z, Akcay A, Kilic G, Peykerli G, Devecioglu E, Ones U, Guler N. Child Care Health Dev. 2007; 33(4): 496-499. |
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Affiliation |
Division of Allergy and Chest Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
17584407 |
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Abstract |
Background: Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is a severe form of abuse in which a caregiver simulates or fabricates illness in another person, primarily the elderly and children, which can even result in death. Case: We report two siblings who were victims of MBP, one of whom died. A very rare diagnosis, cicatricial pemphigoid was suspected in the 2-year-old girl who was first abused. She was hospitalized twice, for 3 and 4 months, respectively. Her second hospitalization ended with her death. MBP was diagnosed after the second sibling's admission with similar atypical signs and symptoms. It was realized that a household-cleaning product, sodium hydroxide, was administered repeatedly by oral route to the children by their own mother. Conclusions: Physicians must consider the diagnosis of MBP whenever they are confronted with unusual, persistent or recurrent signs and symptoms in a child. Language: en |