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PubMed2006

Playing patient, playing doctor: Munchausen syndrome, clinical S/M, and ruptures of medical power.

This article deploys sadomasochism as a framework for understanding medical practice on an institutional level. By examining the case of the factitious illness Munchausen syndrome, this article analyzes the operations of power in the doctor-patient relationship through the trope of role-playing. Because Munchausen syndrome causes a disruption to the dyadic relationship between physicians and patients, a lens of sadomasochism highlights dynamics of power in medical practice that are often obscured in everyday practice. Specifically, this article illustrates how classification and diagnosis are concrete manifestations of the mobilization of medical power.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1987

Significance of transient electrocardiographic Q waves in coronary artery disease.

In some clinical situations, an abnormal Q wave may represent intense but reversible ischemia, but the point at which irreversible myocardial damage occurs is seldom known in the acute phase. Unfortunately, the correct diagnosis is presently too cumbersome and takes far too long by means of serial ECGs and enzyme determinations. This delay may preclude rapid therapeutic interventions such as angioplasty, thrombolysis, and emergency coronary bypass surgery to provide myocardial salvage. The remarkable progress in the treatment of unstable coronary artery disease has created the need for more reliable markers of cell death so as to exclude patients from aggressive therapy or to terminate aggressive therapy to salvage what is considered ischemic myocardium. Transient Q waves are being reported far more frequently and have assumed far greater clinical importance because of the current aggressive therapy of MI (and ischemia) with thrombolytic agents, angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery. A Q-wave deflection associated with ST-segment elevation or depression does not invariably indicate MI. The pronouncement of myocardial death has become more complicated than in the past because Q waves are not pathognomonic of myocardial necrosis. Transient ischemic electrical silence with Q waves in the absence of MI is a rare phenomenon and affects the anterior leads much more commonly than the inferior leads. Such Q waves may appear acutely or may be present chronically with the potential of disappearing when coronary perfusion is restored. A transient intraventricular conduction disorder induced by ischemia should always be ruled out before making the diagnosis of a transient ischemic Q wave or electrical silence. Some workers believe that all transient Q waves represent an unstable intraventricular conduction disorder, but recent developments suggest that most transient Q waves in coronary artery disease are engendered by ischemia. Edema and inflammation may play a part in rendering the myocardium electrically inert, and their disappearance may explain the loss of Q waves. The presence of a small MI should not detract from the importance of associated transient Q waves due to potentially salvageable, severely ischemic myocardium, that is, the zone of so-called concussion around the area of necrosis. In evolving Q-wave MI, a new Q wave may reverse acutely if coronary perfusion is restored very early. Disappearance of Q waves several days after MI suggests return of myocardial viability and does not represent a factitious electrical change. Electrical stunning may be associated with myocardial stunning.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral health and treatment needs in institutionalized psychiatric patients in India.

The caries prevalence, oral hygiene status, periodontal health and treatment needs were evaluated in a group of institutionalized psychiatric patients in Goa, India. Of the total 153 inmates, males constituted 59 percent, the mean age was 25 years, 96 percent were self sufficient and the response rate was 84 percent. 63 percent were diagnosed with schizophrenia. They did not receive any assistance in daily self-care activities including oral hygiene maintenance. None of the 5 edentulous patients had dentures, 5% had been referred for emergency dental care during the period of institutionalization. 15 subjects (12%) were caries-free, the stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the mean DMFT index significantly increased with age (t = 2-819, PL 0.05). Two third of the study population (88%) were in need of conservative dental treatment. The stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the mean OHI-S index significantly increased with age (t = 2.412, P < 0.01). Only 5.4% reported a healthy periodontium whereas 16.27% required complex periodontal therapy. Soft tissue lesions included dorsal lingual depapillation/heavily coated areas and angular cheilitis in addition to incidental observations such as mucosal hyperpigmentation, gingival hyperplasia, and leucoedema. Bruxism and factitious injuries were also noted. The onus of meeting the oral health needs of this marginalized patient population therefore depends on the effectiveness of community dentistry programs vis a vis the efforts of the staff of the institution to provide such services on a regular basis.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Selfinduced gingival mutilations--a diagnostic and therapeutic problem].

A case of factitial gingival traumatism and trichotillomania in a hysteric 28-year-old female patient is reported. During a period of 31 months the patient presented with gingival necrosis which involved the lingual aspects of all four quadrants respectively. A wide range of diagnostical aids failed to enlighten the nature of the lesions until the patient developed an alopecia capitis which was typical for hysteric trichotillomania. The diagnostical and therapeutical aspects of selfmutilation in hysteria are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Insulin misuse: a review of an overlooked psychiatric problem.

A number of forms of insulin misuse, other than the usual noncompliance, have been reported in the literature on the treatment of diabetes mellitus. These include attempted and completed suicide, factitious hypoglycemia, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and the use of insulin by substance abusers. Such misuse has involved diabetic patients, their family members and medical staff, as well as others. The reports of suicide attempts reveal an equal distribution of misuse between the sexes (rather than the expected preponderance of females), underrepresentation of adolescents, and a high rate of recurrence. Recommendations for treatment are discussed for clinicians and investigators regarding this overlooked problem.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Insulin abuse in long-standing IDDM.

Two patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) for 42 and 46 years respectively were diagnosed to produce factitious hypoglycemia. They had several properties in common: abnormal personality, refusal to stop incipient hypoglycemia, ideal body weight, good hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values, non-specific changes in the EEG, and brain atrophy sparing the periventricular areas. The addiction forced the patients to continue their habit during hospital stay. The dose of surreptitiously injected regular insulin always produced serum insulin concentrations large enough to clarify the diagnosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Effect of nebulized albuterol on circulating leukocyte counts in normal subjects.

Nebulized beta 2-receptor agonists may cause neutrophil demargination and result in misleading total circulating leukocyte counts (WBCs) in patients with acute bronchospasm. Varying underlying adrenergic stimulation in these patients also makes interpretation of these data difficult. This study examined the direct effect of these agents on the measured WBCs of healthy adults without evidence of bronchospasm or illness. A prospective, blinded, randomized study of 30 healthy volunteers (aged 18-50 years) was performed in a controlled environment. Subjects were excluded if they were pregnant, had a known underlying medical disorder or have had a prior reaction to albuterol or similar medications. Participants in the study were given either a nebulized albuterol treatment or nebulized normal saline (control group). Leukocyte counts were then obtained before and after treatments. Paired data were analysed using a one-tailed t-test while considering an increase of 40% in WBCs to be significant, P = 0.05, and beta = 0.10. Mean leukocyte counts were 5.9 (+/- 1.2) before treatment as compared to 6.0 (+/- 1.3) after albuterol nebulization. Using the coefficient of variance of WBCs in normal humans as c. 50% (6000 +/- 3000 cells mm-1) we were unable to demonstrate a significant difference in variation in post-nebulized leukocyte counts between the control group and the nebulized albuterol group. While there is concern that the treatment of patients experiencing acute bronchospasm with beta 2 agonists may result in factitious elevations in peripheral leukocyte counts, were found no direct effect of these agents on measured counts in normal subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Skin signs in anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders are becoming an epidemic in Europe, particularly among young women, but European studies concerning this topic are few. In eating disorders, significant medical complications occur in all of the primary human organ systems, including the skin. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to improve the knowledge of skin signs in anorexia nervosa (AN) and verify whether cutaneous differences exist between the restrictive type and the bulimic type. METHODS: A noncontrolled clinical study was performed in 24 consecutive patients with the restrictive and the bulimic types of AN in order to verify whether the cutaneous signs are different in the two types. The dermatological examination included the entire skin, oral cavity, hair and nails, with attention to skin pathologies prior to the development of AN. RESULTS: In all the patients, the most frequent skin manifestations were xerosis (58.3%), hair effluvium (50%), nail changes (45.8%), cheilitis (41.6%), acne (41.6%), gingivitis (33.3%), acrocyanosis (29%), diffuse hypertrichosis (25%), carotenoderma (20.8%), generalized pruritus (16.6%), hyperpigmentation (12.5%), striae distensae (12.5%), factitial dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis (8.3%), poor wound healing, melasma and Russell's sign (4.1%). In the patients with the bulimic type of AN, hair effluvium, acne, gingivitis, nail changes and generalized pruritus were more frequent than in the patients with the restrictive type. Russell's sign and seborrheic dermatitis were exclusively detected in the bulimic type. Hyperpigmentation, striae distensae, factitial dermatitis, poor wound healing and melasma were exclusively observed in the restrictive type. Cheilitis, diffuse hypertrichosis and carotenoderma were more represented in the restrictive type. Two patients with restrictive type of AN were followed up for a period of 3 years. In both, xerosis, cheilitis, acrocyanosis, hyperpigmentation and acne improved in relation to the increase in BMI. Hair effluvium and diffuse hypertrichosis appeared not to be linked to this parameter. CONCLUSION: Skin changes are prevalent among patients with AN. Some changes seem to depend on the type of AN or to be linked to the BMI.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The limits of Munchausen's syndrome.

The authors review the literature on Munchausen's syndrome and speculate about possible underlying psychological mechanisms. The proposed DSM III classification of factitious illnesses suggests a continuum from hysteria on one end of the spectrum to malingering on the other. Two case studies are presented which represent variants of this syndrome. Both patients were given a sodium amytal interview, a procedure not previously reported in the Munchausen's literature. The procedure was helpful in eliciting a more accurate history and a clearer sense of the underlying dynamics. Some suggestions for further research are made.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Atypical Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy with molecular confirmation.

OBJECTIVE: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is typically a familial disease of primarily young, male adults. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA has identified point mutations associated with LHON and allowed us to identify cases of LHON not consistent with traditional descriptions of the disease. DATA SOURCES: The collective experience of three tertiary referral centers contributed to this report. STUDY SELECTION: Patients with bilateral optic neuropathies who were positive for the 11778 LHON mutation were included in this study if they were female and there was no family history of visual loss. DATA EXTRACTION: Six case histories are presented. DATA SYNTHESIS: The diagnosis of LHON remained unknown in six female patients with bilateral optic neuropathies until molecular analysis revealed the 11778 mitochondrial DNA mutation. None of the patients had a family history of visual loss, and five were initially diagnosed as having factitious visual loss. Other individual features atypical for LHON included lack of the characteristic LHON funduscopic appearance, bitemporal hemianopia, optic disc cupping, and premonitory episodes of transient visual loss. In one patient the correct diagnosis was delayed 17 years. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of LHON should be considered in all cases of unexplained optic neuropathy, including those with negative family history, late or early age at onset, female gender, or normal funduscopic appearance.

Adult↗
PubMed1961

Dynamics and management of self-induced eruptions.

Self-induced eruptions are always expressions of an emotionally disturbed person. They cover a wide variety of injuries and include aggravation of preexisting dermatoses, neurotic excoriations, mucocutaneous changes from compulsive movements, factitial dermatitis and trichotillomania. The emotional disturbances in such patients range from mild psychoneuroses to severe psychoses. Attention should be focused primarily on the emotional disturbance. The management of psychotic patients is the domain of the psychiatrist. But those unsuitable for psychiatric care and persons with mild psychoneuroses-who fortunately constitute the majority among patients with self-inflicted eruptions-should remain with their dermatologist or general physician and get from him effective supportive psychotherapy in addition to such treatment for the self-induced damage to the skin as may be indicated.

Dermatitis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy with digestive symptoms and severe growth retardation].

A case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy in an infant presenting with recurrent vomiting and severe failure to thrive is described. Only very few cases of this syndrome have been reported in the italian literature in comparison to those described in the Anglo-Saxon countries. The factitious symptoms and signs fabricated or induced by parents lead to unnecessary medical investigation, hospital admissions and treatment. The Authors emphasize the difficulties in reaching a diagnosis and the risks of this potentially very dangerous behaviour in terms of morbidity and mortality. Since only one third of parents recover following psychotherapy, the offending parent should be sometimes separated from the child and promptly reported and closely supervised by the legal Authorities. Bizarre and otherwise peculiar, unexplained symptoms should always suggest the possibility of the Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Child Abuse↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Foreign body ingestions in the Emergency Department: case reports and review of treatment.

We report a series of alleged ingestions of razor blades and other metal objects by prisoners presenting to an inner city Emergency Department. Fourteen claims of ingestions of razor blades or other metal objects involving eight prisoners occurred in a 5-week period. The motives behind the ingestions varied. Auditory hallucination was the most common reason given for the ingestions. Other motives included efforts to leave prison, depression, and accidental razor blade swallowing. Attempts were made in all patients to verify ingestions by radiograph. Some ingestions could not be confirmed by radiograph and were considered to be factitious. Only 1 of the 14 incidents resulted in hospital admission. All others were either treated in the Emergency Department or the patient was returned to jail with no treatment. No patient had a poor clinical outcome as a result of the ingestion, indicating that diagnostic radiographs and invasive procedures may not always be necessary. A review of treatment of foreign body ingestions is given as well as a summary of the treatment and outcome of these cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Factitial cutaneous ulcers and nodules: the use of electron-probe microanalysis in diagnosis.

Two cases are reported in which persistent nodular or ulcerative skin lesions with granulomatous histology suggested possible injection of foreign material. Electron-probe microanalysis was used to determine the presence and nature of foreign materials present in the skin. This technic identified specific agents used as fillers in tablets, indicating the injection of pulverized tablet material. The patients were counseled regarding this evidence, and psychotherapy and drug rehabilitation were recommended in each instance. This technic provides a valuable tool for accurate identification of foreign substances in the skin.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Repaglinide-induced factitious hypoglycemia.

We report the first case of repaglinide-induced factitious hypoglycemia in a young male. This case posed a challenging diagnostic dilemma because commercial assays for repaglinide are not available. Furthermore, the patient had a series of positive diagnostic tests such as high proinsulin and localizing intra-arterial calcium stimulation suggestive of insulinoma. This case, again, demonstrates the importance of pure clinical judgment in the face of often-conflicting laboratory data in making a correct diagnosis and the requirement of definitive data for an appropriate therapeutic resolution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Pyoderma gangrenosum. A possible cause of wound necrosis.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a destructive cutaneous disorder characterized by painful, rapidly enlarging ulcers with under-mined bluish and purplish red margins. This disease is most frequently found in association with ulcerative colitis. However, in the last three years, four cases of pyoderma gangrenosum precipitated by surgical procedures have occurred, and only one of these patients had ulcerative colitis. All four patients responded to steroid therapy and local wound care. Pyoderma gangrenosum can first be suspected by recognition of the previously described classic lesion. In addition, the absence of significant microbial growth and the lack of a specific etiology ascertained on routine and special staining of biopsy material is suggestive of the diagnosis. Histologic characteristics are entirely nonspecific but can be helpful in ruling out other specific entities. The progressively destructive nature of this process in the face of what would seem to be appropriate therapy for bacterial wound infection requires that pyoderma gangrenosum, as well as other aspects of the differential diagnosis of a persistent ulcerative lesion, such as fungal infection, factitious ulcer, or vasculitis, be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Laxative abuse.

Two types of laxative abuse are described, namely habitual abuse and surreptitious abuse. Phenolphthalein and the anthraquinone derivatives have been most abused in this respect. Long-term anthraquinone use may lead to melanosis coli and cathartic colon, with typical histological and radiological features. Surreptitious abuse presents as a factitious illness with diarrhoea, hypokalaemia, abdominal pain and thirst, as well as melanosis coli. Over 90% of cases occur in women, many of whom work in a paramedical situation. Wider recognition of the range of normal bowel habit and a cultural change with rejection of Victorian mores and concepts of 'intestinal auto-intoxication' have led to a decrease in inappropriate laxative consumption. However, they are still widely prescribed and bought. Although it was as long ago as 1937 that Witts [108] drew attention to the dangers associated with the use of laxatives, his lesion still needs to be preached today.

Cathartics↗