Munchausen syndrome by proxy: definition of factitious bleeding in an infant by 51Cr labeling of erythrocytes

Abstract

The Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a phenomenon in which symptoms of a disease are fabricated by some person other than the patient. This report describes and 8-week-old infant with repetitive bleeding episodes, presumably originating from the upper respiratory tract. Extensive investigations, including angiography, several endoscopies under general anesthesia, and reinfusion of the infant's red cells labeled with 51Cr followed by pulmonary and upper airway scanning, failed to reveal the source of bleeding. Within two weeks after initiation of the 51Cr studies, radioactivity of facial blood from two separate bleeding episodes did not exceed background counts. Simultaneous examination of the infant's capillary blood, however, showed moderate to marked radioactivity. The Rh subtype of the facial blood was cc, whereas the infant's type was Cc. These findings indicated that the facial blood was factitious in origin. No further "bleeding" occurred after this information was presented to the parents. This case represents an unusual example of the Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Awareness of this entity can prevent potentially harmful investigations. Documenting its occurrence and sharing the information with parents in a nonaccusatory manner may prevent future harm to the patient.