Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Also known as: Factitious disorder imposed on another

Caregiver induces or fabricates illness in a dependent.

Medical specialty: Psychiatry
Subspecialty: Psychiatry / Factitious disorders
Sex & age distribution: Male: perpetrator rare, victims affected; Female: perpetrators mostly mothers; Children: yes, victims are usually children under 6
Gene(s) involved: None recorded

Etiology & mechanism

Caregiver need for attention through the sick role of the victim.

Gene(s) involved (0)

No gene recorded.

Symptoms & signs (4)

repeated hospital admissionssymptoms only in caregiver's presenceunexplained recurrent illness in childunusual lab findings

SyndromeScope — educational reference. Content is model-generated and not clinically verified; always confirm against OMIM, Orphanet and GeneReviews before clinical use.