Bizarre! Ball of hair recovered from teenager’s stomach in western India
by Surya PrakashA ball of hair that weighed around 1.2 kgs (2.646 lbs) was recovered from a 13-year-old teen girl’s stomach, in western India’s Maharashtra.
The incident happened at D’Souza hospital in Vasai, Palghar district on November 8.
Visuals showed the doctors with a massive ball of hair that was enveloped with food material.
Speaking to Newslions Dr. Joseph D’souza said that the girl suffered from Rapunzel Syndrome, where a person ingests his/her own hair. Suffering from stomach ache and frequent vomiting, the girl was taken to a clinic. They gave her a prescription and even after following that, nothing seemed to work.
The teenager was then taken to the hospital where she was eventually treated, where a sonography report revealed hair in her gastrointestinal tract. After a one and a half hour surgery, the 32-inch hairball was recovered from her stomach.
The doctors who conducted this operation were Dr. Joseph and Oschen D’Souza with Dr. Nandkumar Raut as anaesthetist.
Adding that the girl is under observation, Dr. Joseph D’Souza, said the teen’s parents have stated that she had a habit of chewing her hair and nails.
The hair that gets chewed, is not digested and hence, it accumulates in the stomach, which later results in pain.
The doctor further stated that it is a psychiatric disorder for children to want to eat non-food items. In this case, the teenager is suffering from a condition called trichophagia. Urging parents to be attentive to their children, the doctor stated that kids suffering from these disorders need psychological counseling.