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PICA Syndrome? What is this? What causes this problem? Is it curable? What are the signs and symptoms? How can homeopathy help you? All of this and more answered, in this post and of course our doctors always there to help you. Just fill in your details in the form down below and we will answer all your questions for FREE!
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What is pica eating disorder?
Pica syndrome is defined as a disorder in which a patient’s appetite is increased for indigestible substances such as chalk, clay, dirt, and sand. Eating these indigestible things is considered as a syndrome when patient eat these things for more than a month at an age.
Continuous intake of these indigestible things in large amounts can lead to intestinal obstruction an emergency in which surgical intervention is the must.
What is the cause of pica?
There’s no single cause of pica. In some cases, a deficiency in iron, zinc, or another nutrient may be the reason. In pregnant women, anemia, or iron deficiency, may be the cause of pica.
In pica syndrome there occur appetites of these specific substances that do not contain any nutrient value, and the major cause of this appetite is any specific mineral deficiency, in many cases, iron deficiency is the most common. It occurs due to celiac disease or in cases of hookworm infestation.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also one of the major causes that lead to eating substances rich in pica. People suffering from OCD’s are more prone to eat such indigestible substances as they have low mental stability.
What are the sign and symptoms?
• Eating soil, clay or chalk leads to a condition known as geophagy.
• Consumption of glass leads to hyalophagia.
• Consumption of paint.
• Consumption of ice known as pagophagia.
• Self-cannibalism is a rare condition where body parts are consumed.
• Consumption of hair and wood are known as trichophagia.
• Consumption of urine is urophagia.
• Consumption of feces coprophagy.
When the consumption of such substances which are indigestible those are given above is more than a month then that condition is termed as pica.
Is pica disorder dangerous?
No, pica is not dangerous but eating indigestible things may lead to complications.
Is pica common?
Pica is the most common eating disorder and it is found in 20 percent of children. Among adults, pica can start during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Is there any treatment?
Treatment of pica syndrome depends on the type of substance eaten.
There are various measurements taken for treatment of the pica syndrome:
As in cases where pica syndrome occurs due to nutritional deficits lead to treatment by adding extra nutrients or multivitamins to diet.
In cases of schizophrenia or other mental disorders require the counseling of patient to let him come to his normal mental state.
There are different ways or therapies adapted to treat the patient and that are as following:
• Aversion presentation schemes can be applied such as
Oral taste e.g. lemon.
Smell sensation e.g. ammonia.
Physical sensation e.g. water fist on the face.
• There are other types such as physical restraint:
There are self-protection devices that inhibit the placement of the substance in the mouth.
Small restraint contingent on pica is being attempted.
Timeout contingent on pica is being attempted.
Do not let the patient take that substance.
What are the complications?
Some substances such as consumption of paints lead to lead poisoning.
Eating of hair for more than a month can lead to intestinal obstruction.
Dental injury
Parasitic infections
For more information, you can visit NEDA and Wikipedia.
PICA Syndrome
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