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1.5kg hair mass removed from 5-year-old Chandigarh girl’s stomach
As per the girl’s family, she had been eating hair for two and a half years, resulting in stomach pain and loss of appetite
In a rare case, a 1.5-kilogram hair mass was removed from the stomach of a five-year-old girl from Mauli-Jagran, Chandigarh, on Thursday.
The surgery was performed by a team led by Dr Vivek Bhadoo, head of surgery department, Civil Hospital, Panchkula.
Dr Bhadoo said that the condition is called trichobezoar, which means mass of undigested hair within the gastrointestinal tract. He added that the girl’s parents visited him a week ago after the child complained of swelling and pain in the stomach and loss of appetite.
“As per her family, she had been eating hair for the last two and a half years. They tried to stop her and even cut her hair as well, but then she started eating the hair of other people,” the doctor said.
“This condition is mainly associated with people suffering from psychiatric disorder or those dealing with severe stress. However, it is very rare among children. I have been working here for 20 years and this seems to be the first such case among children in the entire tricity. Worldwide, its prevalence is 0.3%,” Dr Bhadoo added.
He added: “Hair does not dissolve, so it remains in the digestive system and if one keeps on eating it, then it becomes a ball or mass, which keeps on increasing. Her stomach got full with the hair mass, hence she stopped eating anything, leading to malnourishment, swelling and stomach ache.”
The doctor said that the parents have been advised to keep a close watch on the child, cut her hair for a few years. The child is still under observation.
Dr Rajesh Gupta, head of surgical gastroenterology, PGIMER, “It is very uncommon among children. Such cases are rare and are seen among adults, that too with psychiatric disorders, wherein they pull their hair and swallow it.”
