[Munchausen syndrome in Spanish pediatrics]. / El síndrome de Munchausen en la pediatría española.

The term Munchausen is used to design patients with "expectable clínical histories full of lies and inventions" in a presumable try to find medical attention. In the Munchausen by proxy syndrome the pediatric patients are victims of their parents psychiatric pathology, who, in spite of the normal aspect that many times have, are really sick and urgently needed of psychiatric treatment. In the spanish psychiatric bibliography we have found 25 cases of Munchausen syndrome that hurt to 20 families. 5 cases were Munchausen, and the remain 20 were Munchausen by Proxy. In this group the majority (13 cases: 65%) were non accidental drug intoxications and in the 20 cases the mother was the fraud author. We concluded remarking that statistics shows a casuistic lower than the real one. A study of the Munchausen by proxy syndrome shows that it is a type of child abuse; so that it is essential to stop the abuse as soon as possible, by a multidisciplinary work.

[Quality of life of children with cystic fibrosis]. / Calidad de vida de los niños afectos de fibrosis quística.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease that conveys a large amount of anxiety. Nevertheless, it is always said that the psychosocial adaptation of the patients and their families is good. In this study, we analyzed the quality of life and the knowledge of the illness possessed by parents of 55 children with cystic fibrosis. The data obtained suggested a good level of knowledge about the disease and an acceptable assessment of their quality of life. The familiar problems reflected in the study concerned regular school attendance and the communication between parents and patients, mainly concerning the illness. This was more obvious with teenagers (12 cases: 21.8%). Finally, it can be stated that the work activity and social relationships of the families had changed notably since the time of diagnosis (70% of the 55 cases reflect this change), with no differences among the age groups. We conclude by stressing the importance of supporting these families, especially at the moment of diagnosis. The associations for cystic fibrosis are of great importance for preventing psychosocial problems amongst their membership.

[Prevalence of mental illness among parents of a sample of pedopsychiatric patients]. / Prevalencia de enfermedad mental entre los padres de una muestra de pacientes paidopsiquiaátricos.

We see in this study the association between parental mental disorder and the possibility of psychopathology in their children, at the same time pediatric patients. The children of 155 parents suffering of 10 mental disorders have been compared to 267 normal parent's children. The first group has significantly a greater frequency of emotional problems, developmental difficulties, behavioral disorders and a worst academic achievement. The association was more important if to the parental psychopathology was joined a pathological socio-familial milieu.