A rare case of Munchausen syndrome: foreign body ingestion

Abstract

Munchausen Syndrome (MS) is characterized by mental or physical diseases intentionally induced by the patients. In this case report, we aimed to present MS and review current literature. A 36-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency room with the complaint of abdominal pain that developed after swallowing stitch needles. Physical examination revealed minimal tenderness in the abdomen with palpation. The plain abdominal X-ray revealed more than ten needle-shaped opacities. During the anamnesis, the patient was incoherent and too determined to have a surgical intervention, which gave rise to a suspicion of MS. A psychiatrist consultation was conducted, she was diagnosed with MS and hospitalization of the patient was planned. Clinical suspicion and detailed anamnesis are the key for the diagnosis. Physicians should bring to mind the diagnosis of MS and seek psychiatric support in patients with frequent hospital admissions, incompatibility between their complaints and a history and examination findings.