Factitious disorder: a rare cause of haematemesis

Abstract

Acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common condition in the UK with 50-70,000 admissions per year. In 20% of cases no cause can be found on endoscopy. Here, we present the case of a young female patient who was admitted on three occasions with large volume haematemesis and bleeding from other sites. She was extensively investigated and underwent multiple endoscopic procedures. She was eventually diagnosed with factitious disorder after concerns were raised about the inconsistent nature of her presentations. She was found to be venesecting herself from her intravenous cannula, and ingesting the blood to simulate upper GI bleeding. This is a rare cause of 'haematemesis' but perhaps not as rare as is thought.

Keywords: Factitious disorder; Haematemesis; Upper GI bleed.