Abdominal panniculitis as a presentation of Munchausen Syndrome
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Athanasios Petrou; Antonio Manzelli; Piero Rossi; Edoardo Ricciardi; Ahmed Al-Hindawi; Carlos Damas
- Source
- Case Reports in Clinical Medicine. :322-325
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Ecchymosis
Physical examination
General Medicine
medicine.disease
Factitious disorder
Epigastric pain
Dermatology
Surgery
Abdominal wall
medicine.anatomical_structure
medicine
Fat necrosis
Munchausen syndrome
medicine.symptom
Panniculitis
business
- Language
- ISSN
- 2325-7083
2325-7075
Factitious disorders including Munchausen’s syn drome are encountered by all clinicians. A considerable number of cases of Munchausen’s syndrome are under-diagnosed in clinical practice. We present a 34-year-old man who was admitted with symptoms of epigastric pain, vomiting and peri-umbilical ecchymosis. Physical examination showed signs of inflammation in the abdominal wall with tenderness and guarding in the upper abdomen. However, various blood tests were unremarkable. Computed Tomography and demonstrated anterior abdominal wall panniculitis. After many investigations looking into various aetiological factors that could lead to fat necrosis, a diagnosis of Munchausen’s syndrome was made and the patient was discharged to the care of the local general doctor practice following psychiatric input.