A ‘healthy looking’ boy who had a history of eating mud and hair had a giant comma-shaped mass removed from his stomach.
The problem was only discovered after the boy began to experience hair loss and stomach pain.
The boy, aged 11, had previously been diagnosed with pica, a rare disorder that causes people to eat objects and items like mud that are of no nutritional value.
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His mum made the revelation to medics when she brought him to a hospital for treatment, explaining that he had been eating mud since he was in pre-school.
But despite this, he otherwise had met all the normal expected milestones with his health.
While he looked normal on a physical examination, bar his hair loss, an ultrasound revealed the giant mass in his stomach, reports Need To Know.
The trichobezoar was removed from the 11-year-old boy. (Picture: Jam Press)
He then had an esophagogram (a specialised X-ray) which identified the mass as a gastric trichobezoar – a giant hairball and mass of indigestible materials –– and he was admitted for surgery.
The shocking case was recounted in a medical journal, where doctors described it as “comma-shaped”.
The trichobezoar was removed from the 11-year-old boy. (Picture: Jam Press)
The boy, believed to be from Pakistan, is said to have recovered well physically following the surgery, and he was later referred for psychiatric treatment as conditions such as trichotillomania (hair pulling) are typically caused by anxiety and other stressors.
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