[Munchausen syndrome mimicking Meniere's disease].
We report the case of a female patient presenting what appeared to be Menière's disease but which was found to correspond to Munchausen syndrome. Patients suffering from Munchausen syndrome fake their disease trying to obtain unnecessary treatment or surgical intervention, mimicking symptoms they learn by reading scientific journal or the Internet. In this patient, the diagnosis was made because the patient mimicked bilateral hearing loss. Specialists should be aware of Munchausen syndrome which can be expressed by a myriad of forms. The unemotional and detached way these patients describe their symptoms should alert the clinician to the possibility of an imaginary disease.
Kos
M I
MI
Division d'Otologie, Clinique et Policlinique d'Oto-rhino-laryngologie et de Chirurgie cervico-faciale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, 24, Rue Micheli-du-Crest 1211, Genève CH 14. izabel.kos@hcuge.ch
Guyot
J P
JP
D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009110:Munchausen Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*