The term Munchausen syndrome has long been recognized in adult patients who fabricate symptoms for the purpose of adopting the sick role and submitting themselves to unnecessary medical procedures. In pediatrics, this condition takes a different spin when a parent presents with a story of symptoms in his or her child, who then becomes the focus of medical investigation. Because the patient is not directing the signs and symptoms of the condition, the name of this condition is Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP). MSBP was introduced in the medical literature in 1977 by British pediatrician Roy Meadow and has been labeled Meadow syndrome as well as Polle syndrome at various times.
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