Affiliations: [a] Regional Institute of Rehabilitation, Nancy, France | [b] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, CHRU, Strasbourg, France | [c] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, CHRU, Nancy, France | [x] University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA | [y] North American Brain Injury Society, Chairman, International Pediatric, Brain Injury Society, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Jean-Marie Beis, Regional Institute of Rehabilitation, Centre de Réadaptation pour Grands Handicapés, Rue du Professeur Montaut 54690 Lay-Saint-Christophe, France. Tel.: +33 383 222 231; Fax: +33 383 222 200; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: We report a case of a 29-year-old woman suffering from chronic factitious disorder (FD) with torsion dystonia. For nearly five years, she traveled widely over the country, going from one hospital to another, taking serious medical risk in order to prolong her illness. After several admissions to Rehabilitation Units and multiple explorations, we find convincing evidence for factitious origin and the diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome was evoked. Such a clinical presentation is infrequent in Munchausen's syndrome. Indeed, most often the clinical picture is characterized by acute abdominal pain, fainting, hemoptysis, precordialgia, hematemesis or dermatological lesions. Physicians should be aware of this rare and potentially critical form of FD. Awareness in identifying these patients may lead to prevent unnecessary medical and/or surgical interventions.
