Laboratory diagnosis of factitious disorder: a systematic review of tools useful in the diagnosis of Munchausen's syndrome.

AIMS: To assist clinicians in the diagnosis of factitious disorder.

METHODS: This is a systematic review of the role of laboratory, radiologic, procedural, and pathological modalities to assist in the diagnosis of factitious disorder (Munchausen's syndrome). The review evaluated 3104 article titles and abstracts that were identified from MEDLINE as of January 2010.

RESULTS: We found 190 articles that demonstrated techniques that will assist clinicians in recognizing fabricated manifestations of disease. The results are divided into 13 areas of clinical medicine for easy reference. They are further sub-divided by the diseases or conditions that patients have been reported to simulate and the diagnostic techniques suggested by the literature in each case.

CONCLUSIONS: Factitious disorder is difficult to diagnose and may present as a wide array of fabricated conditions, but there are a range of laboratory and technical means available to assist clinicians in the 21st Century.