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Indian J Psychiatry 2021 Jan-Feb;63(1):103-104. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Department of Psychiatry, GMCH, Chandigarh, India. E-mail:

Blood 2021 Apr 28. Epub 2021 Apr 28.

Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

We report five cases of prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia after exposure to the ChAdOx1 vaccine (AZD1222, Vaxzevria) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Patients presented 5 to 11 days after first vaccination. The spectrum of clinical manifestations included cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), arterial cerebral thromboembolism, and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Read More

Ann Clin Psychiatry 2021 05;33(2):e8-e12

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

Background: In representative cases of Munchausen by internet (MBI), an individual (or "poser") goes online to falsely report or exaggerate illnesses or life crises. The principal goal, as in factitious disorder imposed on self or another, is to garner emotional satisfaction. We provide the first evidence that MBI can target a specific type of health care provider-in this case, birthing doulas. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 19;11(1):8527. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is a curative treatment for hematologic malignancies. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) are the major immune-mediated complications after alloHSCT. However, there is controversy whether neurologic complications after alloHSCT might represent manifestations of GvHD. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2021 Jan-Dec;9:23247096211006248

UPMC Pinnacle Hospital, Harrisburg, PA, USA.

Factitious disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which sufferers intentionally fabricate physical or psychological symptoms in order to assume the role of the patient, without any obvious gain. We present a case of a 23-year-old female with chronic urticaria who presented with dyspnea, dysphasia, mild generalized erythema, abdominal cramps, and headache. She was tachypneic and hypotensive. Read More

SAGE Open Med Case Rep 2021 12;9:2050313X211000869. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Department of Internal Medicine, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Thimphu, Bhutan.

Factitious disorders and Munchausen syndromes present with history and physical symptoms to all specialties, and they are often extensively evaluated. Diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome is a challenge and patients often do not receive the correct diagnosis and appropriate care especially in settings where access to mental health professionals is difficult. We present a case of recurrent bleed from the right ear, bilateral profound hearing loss and jerky movement of limbs that was extensively evaluated and followed up for 4 years until a diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome was reached. Read More

Dtsch Arztebl Int 2021 02;118(5):67

Am J Hematol 2021 06 7;96(6):E207-E210. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany.

Gen Dent 2021 Mar-Apr;69(2):56-59

Munchausen syndrome (MunS), or factitious disorder imposed on self, is an exceedingly rare and immensely difficult syndrome to identify and manage and is considered a diagnosis of exclusion. Few reports exist in the dental literature to date, so the objective of this article is to describe a case of MunS in a 60-year-old woman who sought treatment for bilateral jaw pain and uncontrolled jaw movements. The patient's symptoms started 19 months previously, following placement of a 6-unit metal-ceramic bridge. Read More

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021 Feb 24:1359104521996742. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, USA.

Pediatric presentations of factitious disorder (Munchausen syndrome) remain underdiagnosed and poorly understood compared to adult cases. The purpose of this study is to review the current literature on child and adolescent factitious disorder in order to better understand the differences between pediatric and adult presentations of this disorder. We also present the case of an adolescent girl with factitious disorder; her hospital course draws attention to the excessive healthcare expenditures and risk of iatrogenic complications associated with this diagnosis. Read More

Rev Med Suisse 2021 Feb;17(725):297-302

Service de psychiatrie de liaison et d'intervention de crise (SPLIC), Département de santé mentale et de psychiatrie, HUG, 1211 Genève 14.

The diagnosis of factitious disorder can only emerge when caregivers are in difficulty in caring for their patient. This disorder is a real challenge for healthcare teams throughout the treatment, from its discovery to its treatment. Secrecy and self-inflicted injuries are components that we can be uncomfortable with as caregivers. Read More

J Pediatr 2021 May 22;232:294-298. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Pseudohyperkalemia and pseudohyponatremia are phenomena in which hematologic disorders with high cell counts result in factitious electrolyte measurements that can result in inappropriate treatment. We describe 2 children with leukemia presenting with both disturbances to highlight the importance of correlating electrolyte results from plasma with those from whole blood before intervening. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2021 03 28;34(2):e14789. Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Department of Nephrology, University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Pediatr Cardiol 2021 Feb 2;42(2):234-254. Epub 2021 Jan 2.

Cardiology Care for Children, Lancaster, PA, USA.

In the very young child (less than eight years of age), transient loss of consciousness represents a diagnostic and management dilemma for clinicians. While most commonly benign, syncope may be due to cardiac dysfunction which can be life-threatening. It can be secondary to an underlying ion channelopathy, cardiac inflammation, cardiac ischemia, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or pulmonary hypertension. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 12 31;10(12):e043864. Epub 2020 Dec 31.

SAPPHIRE Group, Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

Objectives: To devise an assessment tool to aid discharge and admission decision-making in relation to children and young people in hospital urgent and emergency care facilities, and thereby improve the quality of care that patients receive, using a clinical prediction modelling approach.

Design: Observational cohort study with internal and external validation of a predictive tool.

Setting: Two general emergency departments (EDs) and an urgent care centre in the North of England. Read More

J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 2020 12;48(4):431-435

Dr. Dike is Medical Director, Office of the Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Law and Psychiatry Division, Yale University School of Medicine.

Perspect Psychiatr Care 2020 Nov 26. Epub 2020 Nov 26.

Centre for Health Innovation, Networking, Training, Action and Research - Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Introduction: It could be challenging for healthcare workers to diagnose patients with factitious disorder who present with rare ophthalmologic manifestations such as haemolacria, because of the unavailability of adequate literature and associated guidelines. The present case report aims to fulfill this knowledge gap.

Case Presentation: A 20-year-old tribal illiterate married female patient with symptoms of bleeding episodes from her left eye was admitted to the hospital. Read More

J Clin Psychol Med Settings 2021 03 20;28(1):1-5. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.

As the world views, incredulously, the calamitous consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inseparable connections between body and mind become more and more apparent, even for the heretics (i.e., biological determinists). Read More

Exp Eye Res 2021 01 21;202:108316. Epub 2020 Oct 21.

USC Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address:

The corneal epithelium serves as a physical barrier and a refractive element. Therefore, diseases of the corneal epithelium can increase the risk for infection and causes vision loss. The corneal epithelium can be affected by a multitude of conditions, such as infections, hereditary diseases, depositions, trauma, autoimmune conditions, factitious disorders, and iatrogenic causes. Read More

Cureus 2020 Aug 30;12(8):e10144. Epub 2020 Aug 30.

Medical Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.

Ganser syndrome (GS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by answer approximation, clouded consciousness, somatic conversion symptoms, and visual or auditory hallucinations. The objective of this case report is to elucidate the presentation of a patient with GS and to highlight the interplay of psychological and organic determinants in this condition. We present a 66-year-old man with a history of concussion and short-term memory loss who presented with selective, remote, and recent memory loss following the death of his wife, visual hallucinations, approximation of answers regarding his current state, and limited insight into his condition. Read More

J Nucl Med 2021 03 2;62(3):304-312. Epub 2020 Oct 2.

Molecular Imaging and Therapy Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.

Benign thyroid disorders, especially hyper- and hypothyroidism, are the most prevalent endocrine disorders. The most common etiologies of hyperthyroidism are autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves disease, GD), toxic multinodular goiter (TMNG), and toxic thyroid adenoma (TA). Less common etiologies include destructive thyroiditis (e. Read More

Psychiatry Res 2020 11 17;293:113457. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal, Bhopal 462020, Madhya Pradesh, India. Electronic address:

Dtsch Arztebl Int 2020 Jun;117(26):452-459

Consultation-Liaison Psychosomatics, Neurocenter, BG Trauma Center, Murnau, and Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich; Department of Arthroplasty, Consultation-Liaison Psychosomatics, Neurocenter, BG Trauma Center, Murnau, and Institute of Biomechanics, Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität (PMU) Salzburg at BG Trauma Center, Murnau.

Background: The pathological feigning of disease can be seen in all medical disciplines. It is associated with variegated symptom presentations, self-inflicted injuries, forced but unnecessary interventions, unusual and protracted recoveries, and frequent changes of treating physician. Factitious illness is often difficult to distinguish from functional or dissociative disorders on the one hand, and from malingering on the other. Read More

Psychiatr Danub 2020 Sep;32(Suppl 1):121-129

School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom,

Background: Factitious hypoglycaemia is a form of factitious disorder imposed on self with high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore important to be aware of the key demographic and contextual risk factors for factitious hypoglycaemia, as well the investigations and management options available for suspected cases.

Subjects And Methods: In this article we describe a case report and literature review of factitious hypoglycaemia. Read More

Ann Plast Surg 2021 04;86(4):e1-e6

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.

Introduction: Patients with factitious disorder (FD) or "Munchausen syndrome" intentionally fabricate or induce medical problems for psychological gratification. They may deceive plastic surgeons into performing multiple unnecessary procedures. We undertook the first systematic review of FD case reports in plastic surgery. Read More

CNS Spectr 2020 Aug 10:1-11. Epub 2020 Aug 10.

Clínica Universitária de Psiquiatria e Psicologia Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is well-known to clinicians, but its usage is discouraged now in favor of other terms placing emphasis on the victim. This study aims to determine the most common characteristics of perpetrators but only in case reports labeled as MSBP, published in PubMed literature in the past 15 years. MSBP has been described as a rare form of abuse due to illness falsification, where the perpetrator usually receives the diagnosis of factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA). Read More

Br J Haematol 2020 12 4;191(5):651. Epub 2020 Aug 4.

Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Turk Psikiyatri Derg 2020 ;31(2):137-142

Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA-DSM-5), formerly known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP) is a form of child abuse. A case can be recognised by only keeping the relevant diagnoses in mind. There are many cases of FDIA diversified by the contributions of both the caregiver and the child. Read More

Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2020 09 11;16(3):450-456. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.

Factitious disorders (FD) like Munchausen syndrome are well known to most physicians, yet the corresponding ICD-10 diagnosis F68.1 remains severely under-assigned and often misdiagnosed. To approach this problem, we conducted a nationwide inquiry for Germany and Norway as well as a comparison between these two countries regarding the incidence of diagnosis of FD. Read More