Craving hair, 5-year-old girl has intestinal obstruction due to 'giant hairball'

A 5-year-old girl in Ho Chi Minh City who has a hobby of eating hair was admitted to Children's Hospital 2 (Ho Chi Minh City) with severe abdominal pain, constipation, and vomiting a lot of green fluid.

According to the family's description, the child had been suffering from colicky, dull abdominal pain for about 5 days before being admitted to the hospital. Master, Doctor Ho Tran Ban, head of the surgical team, and his colleagues diagnosed the child with intestinal obstruction suspected to be caused by a hairball (trichobezoar) and needed emergency surgery.

Dr. Tran Quoc Viet (Command Department, Children's Hospital 2) said that the child's intestinal obstruction was caused by Rapunzel syndrome; also known as " Tangled " syndrome based on the fictional character in the story with long hair of the same name.

However, unlike fairy tales, this syndrome is a real-life problem that can cause dangerous complications such as intestinal obstruction. Patients tend to crave hair.

"Hair cannot be digested like food when ingested, leading to accumulation in clumps in the stomach or small intestine and may be accompanied by a "long tail of hair " lying along the inside of the intestine," Dr. Viet shared.

The hair bun was removed from the girl's body by doctors.

BVCC

Ho Chi Minh City: Many children have intestinal obstruction and are hospitalized due to eating hair.

At Children’s Hospital 2, the hospital receives many similar cases every year and the number has been increasing recently. Most of the children have to undergo surgery to remove the “giant hairball” from their digestive tract. In particular, all pediatric cases need to be monitored for long-term psychological treatment afterward.

According to Dr. Viet, parents, relatives and those who directly care for and nurture sick children are important factors in helping to prevent and avoid this condition from recurring in children.

"Parents should carefully observe their children to detect problems early, and work with medical staff to help limit hair swallowing behavior and support their children's spirits," the doctor recommended.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/them-an-toc-be-gai-5-tuoi-bi-tac-ruot-do-bui-toc-khong-lo-1851462110.htm