Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24648724›Full record

ArticleClinical interventions in aging2014

Cutaneous factitia in elderly patients: alarm signal for psychiatric disorders.

Anca Chiriac, Liliana Foia, Cristina Birsan, Ancuta Goriuc, Caius Solovan

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical interventions in aging, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Anca ChiriacDepartment of Dermatology, Nicolina Medical Center, Iaşi, Romania.
Liliana FoiaSurgical Department, Grigore T Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iaşi, Romania.
Cristina BirsanDepartment of Dermatology, Nicolina Medical Center, Iaşi, Romania.
Ancuta GoriucSurgical Department, Grigore T Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iaşi, Romania.
Caius SolovanDepartment of Dermatology, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania.
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy · ROVictor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara · RO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe factitious disorders, more commonly known in daily practice as pathomimia, are expressed in dermatology units by skin lesions induced voluntarily by the patient, in order to draw attention of the medical staff and/or the family members. The disorder is often challenging to diagnose and even more difficult to document in front of the patient or relatives. It represents a challenge for the physician, and any attempt at treatment may be followed by recurrence of the self-mutilation. This paper describes two cases of pathomimia diagnosed by dermatologists and treated in a psychiatry unit, highlighting the importance of collaboration in these situations. PATIENTS AND

methodsTwo case reports, describing old female patients with pathomimia, hospitalized in a department of dermatology for bizarre skin lesions.

resultsThe first case was a 77-year-old female with unknown psychiatric problems and atrophic skin lesions on the face, self-induced for many months, with multiple hospitalizations in dermatology units, with no response to different therapeutic patterns, and full recovery after psychiatric treatment for a major depressive syndrome. The second case was a 61-year-old female patient with disseminated atrophic scars on the face, trunk, and limbs. She raised our interest because of possible psychiatric issues, as she had attempted to commit suicide. The prescription of antidepressants led to a significant clinical improvement.

conclusionThese cases indicate that a real psychiatric disease may be recorded in patients suffering from pathomimia. Therefore, complete psychiatric evaluation in order to choose the proper therapy is mandatory for all these cases. Dermatologists and all physicians who take care of old patients must recognize the disorder in order to provide optimum care for this chronic condition. We emphasize therefore the importance of psychiatric evaluation and treatment to avoid the major risk of suicide. Skin lesions must be regarded as an alarm signal in critical cases, especially in senior people.

Indexed as

AgedDiagnosis, DifferentialFactitious DisordersFemaleHumansMental DisordersMiddle AgedSkin Diseaseselderlypathomimiapsychiatric disorders

Identifiers

PMID24648724
PMCPMC3958542
OpenAlexW2013337469

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.