[Epileptic seizures and hematemesis in a young patient with sickle cell disease].

INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease is a multi-faceted disease, which can affect all organs. Here, we report the case of a young woman whose clinical presentation was confusing.

CASE REPORT: An 18-year-old patient from Martinique in Caribbean area presented to the emergency room with widespread pain, as part of a vaso-occlusive crisis. She reported being followed for SS sickle cell anemia, with a history of vaso-occlusive crises and exchange transfusions in the past. Her hemoglobin rate was 83g/L. She was treated with opioid analgesics. Then, she presented several generalized tonic-clonic seizures and major episodes of hematemesis, which proved to be simulated by the patient, whose hemoglobin electrophoresis result was finally AS.

CONCLUSION: This patient had therefore the Münchausen syndrome, mimicking sickle cell anemia, like eight other cases reported in the literature.