Bezoars are collections of indigestible material that can cause stomach aches, pain, and nausea. They are most common in preadolescent and adolescent girls and mentally handicapped individuals who eat inedible objects. Trichophagia, a compulsive urge to eat hair, can lead to bezoars, and large ones may require surgery. In rare cases, bezoars can be fatal.
A bezoar is a collection of ingested foreign material that does not pass through the intestines. For a bezoar to form, a person must eat large amounts of indigestible items such as hair or plastic bags. Bezoars are most commonly found in preadolescent and adolescent girls, and mentally handicapped people are more likely to eat inedible objects. A person likely has a bezoar if they have a habit of eating hair or the soft filling of pillows and stuffed animals, as well as experiencing stomach aches, pain, or nausea. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove the mass, but occasionally a healthcare professional can extract it from the mouth with a scope.
Normally, people are diagnosed with a bezoar based on their symptoms, any conditions they may have, and sometimes the presence of abdominal lumps. For example, some common side effects of having a lump of indigestible matter in the body are nausea, pain and constipation. Also, a person with a habit of eating hair or sofa cushion stuffing is more likely to have bezoars than someone who has never consumed inedible items. Finally, sometimes a bezoar is made apparent by a lump in the abdomen, which can be seen or felt by rubbing the general area.
One health condition that can lead to bezoars is called trichophagia, which is a compulsive urge to eat hair, either your own hair or someone else’s. People with this condition generally pull the hair out by the roots, then rub it against their lips or chew it before swallowing. A potential result of eating a lot of hair is Rapunzel syndrome, a lump formed due to a hairball. This syndrome is very rare with fewer than two dozen documented cases, but young children are the most susceptible. The syndrome’s name comes from a German fairy tale in which a girl named Rapunzel has unnaturally long hair.
Particularly large bezoars are usually removed surgically, while smaller ones are removed through the patient’s mouth with a scope. In most cases, people make a complete recovery and the patient’s hair must be cut short or all stuffed items taken away to prevent future occurrences. Sometimes, in very rare cases, people die from bezoar blockages or after invasive surgery to remove large bezoars. Many people eventually grow up eating hair or fur fibers, but it is possible for the problem to be lifelong, especially with the mentally handicapped.
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