A 10-year-old girl, known as Xiaoke, from Fujian Province has been experiencing abdominal pain for the past three years. Despite visiting multiple hospitals for treatment, her condition was not improving. Recently, during an examination at the Fujian Children’s Hospital, doctors discovered a mass of hair in the girl’s stomach, which was surgically removed after a 10-hour procedure.
Xiaoke has been suffering from recurrent stomach pain for the past three years. Her parents took her to various hospitals without getting a definitive diagnosis. During a recent visit to the Fujian Children’s Hospital, doctors found a hard lump in her abdomen. Upon further examination, it was revealed that her stomach was filled with a tangled mass of hair, occupying nearly three-quarters of the stomach capacity.
The hair had solidified into a hard “stomach stone” due to the action of stomach acid, causing Xiaoke to experience abdominal pain, extreme thinness, and iron-deficiency anemia.
It was discovered that the introverted Xiaoke had been secretly eating her own hair. Her mother recalled witnessing her daughter stuffing hair into her mouth three years ago, dismissing it as childish mischief at the time.
To soften the “stomach stone,” doctors had Xiaoke drink cola. Subsequently, after a surgical procedure lasting more than ten hours, a full two basins of hair were removed.
The doctors explained that this condition falls under “pica,” where some children, due to factors like lack of parental companionship, eat hair to relieve anxiety. Others may resort to eating non-food items like hair or chewing on wall plaster seeking comfort in situations like changing schools or constant family arguments. They emphasized that if a child engages in behaviors like eating hair or gnawing on walls persistently for over a month, medical attention should be sought promptly.