On June 24th, the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi announced that its doctors had successfully removed a mass containing a ball of hair from the stomach of a 4-year-old child.
A mass containing a ball of hair was found in the stomach of a 4-year-old child.
Previously, DKN (4 years old, residing in Tuyen Phu commune, Quang Tri province) experienced abdominal pain around the navel that lasted for 2 days. Relatives thought it was just a common stomach ache and monitored the child at home. When the symptoms did not improve, N. was taken to a medical facility for examination.
The ultrasound revealed an abnormal mass in the stomach measuring approximately 5.6 x 2.4 cm. During endoscopy, doctors discovered two large masses of undigested food, primarily composed of hair mixed with food particles. The foreign objects had coalesced into a clump of hair about 10 cm long. Doctors then performed an endoscopic procedure to remove the entire mass from the child's stomach.
Further investigation of the family history revealed that the child lived with grandparents and had several persistent unusual habits such as pulling out and eating hair, eating sand, eating wall plaster, and frequently putting strange objects around the house into their mouth.
The child's health is currently stable.
According to doctors, this is a symptom of Picaphylaxis (PICA) – a condition in which children tend to eat non-food items such as hair, soil, sand, paper, or plaster.
These substances are indigestible and easily accumulate in the digestive tract, forming masses that cause prolonged abdominal pain, vomiting, intestinal obstruction, ulcers, or gastrointestinal bleeding. In many cases, patients may require surgery if the mass is too large.
Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/bui-toc-lon-nam-trong-da-day-chau-be-4-tuoi-169260624143456504.htm
