Pica in Children: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

 


Pica is a compulsive eating disorder in which people eat non-food items. Dirt, clay, and flaking paint are the most common items eaten. This is the main reason why children eat soil. Less common items include eating mud, glue, hair, cigarette ashes, and faces. The disorder is more common in children, affecting 10% to 30% of young children ages 1 to 6. It can also occur in children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. On rare occasions, pregnant women crave strange, non-food items. For these women, pica often involves eating dirt and may be related to an iron and zinc deficiency.

Reasons Behind PICA

1. Cultural Practices: - Some cultures believe that eating dirt can be healthy. These beliefs are rooted in earlier times when people used soil medicinally to soothe digestive problems. People in some cultures eat dirt to relieve ulcers, diarrhoea, or menstrual pain.

2. Unpleasant Situations During Childhood: - Children have a natural urge to explore their environment with their mouth. This is one way for them to get familiar with their surroundings and gain knowledge about new things.

3. Nutritional Deficiencies: - Dirt may be attractive for kids as it looks like chocolate cake or ice cream which are favourite treats for most children. It may also be because dirt has sweet smell that attracts kids towards it and makes them want to taste it more than once.

4. Mental Health Conditions: - Genetic disorders include conditions that people develop spontaneously, conditions that were present at birth because of disruptions in how they developed in the womb, and hereditary conditions they inherited from their parents.

5. Cravings in Pregnancy: - Pregnant women crave the taste and texture of dirt. Some believe that eating dirt is good for the baby, but ingesting soil can be harmful to expectant mothers if it contains pollutants or parasites.

 

SYMPTOMS OF PICA

1. Iron-deficiency Anaemia

2. Lead Poisoning

3. Constipation or Diarrhoea

4. Intestinal Infection

5. Mouth or Teeth injuries


TREATMENT OF PICA

First, patients with pica need medical care to correct any nutritional deficits or other physical issues caused by the condition. Moreover, surgery may be necessary to remove metal objects from a patient’s digestive tract or to repair other injuries.

Treatment for pica must be tailored to each individual. In some cases, treatment simply involves informing the patient that the behaviours is dangerous or unhealthy. In other cases, however, more intensive interventions are necessary.  In case of any emergency, you should look for a multispeciality hospital.


CONCLUSION :- In conclusion, I hope that you have learned about this disorder and the research going into finding more treatment options for those affected. If you have several minutes to spare, I encourage you to read more about pica eating disorder.

 

 

 

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