COURSE TITLE: FOOD AND NUTRITION
COURSE CODE: PY-209
LECTURE DELIVERED BY : NUTRITIONIST HIRA RIAZ
CASE STUDY
OF PICA
PICA
Pica is an eating disorder in which a person eats things not usually
considered. Pica can happen to anyone at any age but tends to happen
in three specific groups of people:
Young children, especially those under 6 years old.
People who are pregnant.
People with certain mental health conditions, especially autism
spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities or schizophrenia.
TYPES OF PICA
• Geophagia: Consumption of the earth, which can include eating dirt,
soil, clay, or sand.
• Pagophagia: Eating ice, freezer frost, or compulsively drinking iced
beverages—commonly seen in people with iron-deficiency anemia.
• Amylophagia: Craving starches, such as uncooked rice or pasta,
laundry starch, and cornstarch.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of pica occur as a result of the toxic or poisonous content as well as the
bacteria in nonfood items that are ingested. The symptoms may include:
• Nausea
• Pain or abdominal cramping in the stomach
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Behavior problems
• School problems
COMPLICATION
These symptoms and conditions need to be evaluated more urgently by a
healthcare provider. They include:
• Intestinal blockage, when stomach pain does not resolve
•Stomach ulcers, which may cause blood in the stools
Symptoms of lead poisoning, if paint chips that contain lead are ingested
•Electrolyte imbalances, in rare cases leading to seizure
•Injuries to teeth, such as broken or fractured teeth from chewing on hard
nonfood items
•Infections caused by germs, and/or parasites that enter the body from the
nonfood item that is swallowed
PICA
CASE STUDY 1
Hackworth and Williams (2003) examined the relationship between
sickle disease patients and the consumption of foam rubber products.
In one case, a 15-year-old male with sickle cell disease had been
consuming foam rubber since he was around 6 years of age. He
primarily chewed the rubber found from furniture, and mattresses,
ironing-board pads. As is common with pica, he was embarrassed by
the behavior, but he was interested in stopping the behavior. Along
with pica, the patient also had a history of asthma, attention-deficit
disorder, and a reading disorder.Thus giving a proper amount of zinc
and minerals ,the disorder was treated.
CASE STUDY 2
Craving for Ice and Iron-Deficiency Anemia: A Case Series from Oman
Osman, Wali, and Osman (2005) explore pagophagia (practice of
consuming ice) and discovered that it is composed of biochemical,
hematological, psychological, and cultural factors. Two young women
in their 20s and an 8-year-old boy with iron-deficiency anemia were
treated with iron therapy and the behavior was resolved within 2 weeks.
CONCLUSION
People with iron deficiency anemia often have pica for pebbles, ice,
sand, dirt, clay or metal objects. Those with poor zinc status often
uncontrollably chew fabric, clothing, erasers, wood, or pencils, or clench
and grind teeth, in sleep or when awake. Thus proper nutrition should
be given from the birth to the infants so they cannot have any disorder
or deficiency in order to lead a healthy life
THANK YOU
