![]() Sharp objects may damage the digestive system. Hair may become lodged in a person’s throat, stomach, or intestines, causing choking or blockages. Paint chips may contain lead, which is a poisonous substance. Soil, clay, and feces may contain parasites and harmful bacteria. Ice, for example, is usually harmless, but excessively chewing it can damage teeth. The dangers of pica depend on the types of objects people consume. Some studies have found associations with psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and child neglect or abuse. Pica studies have used different definitions of the disorder, and underreporting is common among affected subjects, making it difficult to draw scientifically accurate conclusions. Some people with the disorder have nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency anemia, but, besides such deficiencies, direct causes of the disorder have yet to be established. Scientists and physicians are not exactly sure what causes pica. Others who live with poverty and famine may engage in geophagia to ease hunger pangs and to provide needed micronutrients, such as iron or calcium. In some cultures, geophagia-especially eating clay-as a medicinal practice is culturally supported and socially normative. ![]() The nonfood items most commonly eaten by people who have pica include ice (known as pagophagia), soil or clay (known as geophagia), chalk, charcoal, paint chips, human or animal feces, hair (known as trichophagia), coffee grounds, eggshells, raw starch (known as amylophagia), paper, pebbles, soap, and cloth. The disorder is named after the Eurasian magpie ( Pica pica), a bird species that sometimes eats nonfood items. It occurs in people of all ages from 24 months on but may be more prevalent in children under six years of age, pregnant people, persons with developmental disabilities, and people with certain other mental health conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia. For many people with the condition, pica is short-term and benign, but for some people it is a lifelong condition, and it can be dangerous if hazardous items are ingested. Pica, mental health condition, a type of eating disorder, characterized by the compulsive eating of substances that are not food and that have little or no nutritional value. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.© 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Goldenhar syndrome developmental delay forensic science intestinal obstruction perforation pica sudden death. Presenting symptoms and signs of such complications may be subtle or masked given the nature of underlying conditions, and so careful evaluation of the medical histories of individuals with pica may be necessary to provide pertinent details of associated medical and psychiatric conditions. ![]() Other findings at autopsy may include airway obstruction, heavy metal poisoning, and parasitic infestation. Lethal complications of pica include intestinal obstruction and perforation with peritonitis and generalized sepsis. Death was due to a sigmoid volvulus resulting from filling of the distal colon with feces containing dirt, stones, and rice with evidence of ischemic intestinal necrosis. ![]() A 9-year-old boy with Goldenhar syndrome, significant developmental delay and pica, collapsed and died after a short history of diarrhea and vomiting. Pica is characterized by the persistent eating of non-nutritive substances over some time that is inappropriate for the maturation stage of the individual and is not culturally sanctioned.
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