Pica in iron deficiency: a case series
- PMID: 20226051
- PMCID: PMC2850349
- DOI: 10.1186/1752-1947-4-86
Pica in iron deficiency: a case series
Abstract
Introduction: Pica is an unusual condition where patients develop cravings for non-nutritive substances that can cause significant health risks. We report three patients with pica, two of them showing evolutionary changes associated with pica and the third demonstrating a peculiar nature of pica, which has yet to be reported.
Case presentation: We describe three patients who presented with symptoms of pica. The first patient is a 36-year-old Caucasian woman who had dysfunctional uterine bleeding associated with daily ingestion of two super-sized cups of ice as iced tea. The second patient is a 62-year-old Caucasian man who presented with bleeding from colonic polyps associated with drinking partially frozen bottled water. Lastly, the third patient, a 37-year-old Hispanic woman, presented with dysfunctional uterine bleeding and habitually chewed rubber bands. All three patients presented with hematological parameters diagnostic for iron deficiency anemia.
Conclusion: Pica has been practiced for centuries without a clear etiology. We have noticed that the younger community of academic and community physicians are not aware of the importance of complaints related to pica. None of our patients we describe here, as well as their primary care physicians, were aware of the importance of their pica related symptoms. Pica symptoms abated in one of our patients upon iron supplementation, while the other two are currently under treatment as of this writing. We believe pica is an important sign of iron deficiency that should never be ignored, and the craving for any unusual substance should compel clinicians to search for occult blood loss with secondary iron deficiency.
Similar articles
-
Sodium chloride pica causing recurrent nephrolithiasis in a patient with iron deficiency anemia: a case report.J Med Case Rep. 2017 Nov 18;11(1):325. doi: 10.1186/s13256-017-1499-5. J Med Case Rep. 2017. PMID: 29149910 Free PMC article.
-
A Different Kind of Craving: Incidence and Treatment of Pica After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.World J Surg. 2017 Sep;41(9):2324-2328. doi: 10.1007/s00268-017-4048-x. World J Surg. 2017. PMID: 28477159
-
[Rapid regression of prolonged pagophagia after treatment of iron deficiency].Presse Med. 2001 Feb 24;30(7):321-3. Presse Med. 2001. PMID: 11262806 French.
-
[Pica in Germany--amylophagia as the etiology of iron deficiency anemia].Z Gastroenterol. 1998 Aug;36(8):635-40. Z Gastroenterol. 1998. PMID: 9773481 Review. German.
-
Pica: A Common Condition that is Commonly Missed - An Update Review.Curr Pediatr Rev. 2019;15(3):164-169. doi: 10.2174/1573396315666190313163530. Curr Pediatr Rev. 2019. PMID: 30868957 Review.
Cited by
-
Datura stramonium L. poisoning in a geophagous child: a case report.Int J Emerg Med. 2011 Jun 15;4(1):31. doi: 10.1186/1865-1380-4-31. Int J Emerg Med. 2011. PMID: 21676236 Free PMC article.
-
Iron-deficiency anemia with lithobezoar (pica): a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in a 5-year-old Nigerian child.Int Med Case Rep J. 2018 Sep 17;11:225-228. doi: 10.2147/IMCRJ.S175653. eCollection 2018. Int Med Case Rep J. 2018. PMID: 30271221 Free PMC article.
-
Iron deficiency and soil-transmitted helminth infection: classic and neglected connections.Parasitol Res. 2022 Dec;121(12):3381-3392. doi: 10.1007/s00436-022-07697-z. Epub 2022 Oct 19. Parasitol Res. 2022. PMID: 36258094 Review.
-
Geophagy (rock eating), experimental stress and cognitive idiosyncrasy.Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2014 May;4(5):362-6. doi: 10.12980/APJTB.4.2014C1197. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2014. PMID: 25182720 Free PMC article.
-
Mothball ingestion as a manifestation of pica, leading to paradichlorobenzene CNS toxicity.Afr Health Sci. 2020 Jun;20(2):932-935. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v20i2.48. Afr Health Sci. 2020. PMID: 33163061 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Grotegut CA, Dandolu V, Katari S, Whiteman VE, Holtzman OG, Teitelman M. Baking soda pica: a case of hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis and rhabdomyolysis in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2006;107:484–486. - PubMed
-
- Grivetti LE. Culture, diet and nutrition: selected themes and topics. BioScience. 1978;28(3):171–177. doi: 10.2307/1307345. - DOI
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources