Factitious Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Case Series and Review

Abstract

Factitious gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a manifestation of factitious disorder (FD) wherein patients feign GIB in the absence of external gain. As it can be a challenging diagnosis to make, factitious GIB often leads to multiple tests, exposure to contrast agents and radiation, invasive endoscopic and surgical procedures, an increased risk of iatrogenic complications, and increased healthcare costs. Patients who feign GIB often demonstrate characteristic behaviors that may go unnoticed unless they are explicitly addressed. We report a series of patients admitted to our institution for further evaluation of obscure overt GIB with an eventual diagnosis of factitious GIB and review of the epidemiology and development of FD, a diagnostic approach to factitious GIB, and current management strategies.

Keywords: Factitious disorder; Gastrointestinal bleeding; Hematemesis; Hematochezia; Malingering disorder.