Jimu News reporter Liao Shiqi
Correspondent Yin Qian Zhan Wenxue
Recently, Xiaofang (pseudonym), a 13-year-old girl from Wuhan, came to the Gastroenterology Department of Wuhan Puren Hospital after suffering abdominal pain for more than a month On examination, surprisingly, the doctor found a 10cm hair-like mass in her stomach during gastroscopy.
According to Xiaofang’s (pseudonym)’s mother’s recollection, Xiaofang likes to tug at her hair unconsciously since she was a child, and then secretly chew and swallow. When parents are not paying attention, children will still eat secretly. Because of this, they are also very distressed, and they have sought medical treatment before, but the situation has not improved.
Director He Xiaogu is undergoing gastroscopy (data map) Photo by Correspondent Yin Qian
Wuhan City He Xiaogu, director of the Gastroenterology Department of Puren Hospital, introduced that in daily life, we often see some children always like to eat “strange” things such as cinder, wall covering, clods, paper, hair, etc. This phenomenon is medically called For “pica” or “heterophilia”.
“Pica is a very complex syndrome of multiple diseases caused by metabolic disorders, abnormal taste and improper diet management. People with this disorder will continue to bite some Non-nutritious substances, such as soil, paper, dirt, etc. Some medical experts believe that pica is mainly caused by the lack of trace elements such as zinc and iron in the body. At present, more and more doctors believe that pica is mainly caused by It is caused by psychological factors.” Director He Xiaogu said.
Director He Xiaogu reminded that children often suffer from abdominal pain and discomfort. Parents should pay attention to it and go to the pediatrics or gastroenterology department in time to avoid delaying the disease.