An 11-year-old in the Czech Republic complains of increasing stomach pains until doctors find out she compulsively ate her hair. The matted lump must be surgically removed. Without surgery, there could have been serious damage to health.
Doctors in the Czech Republic pulled a matted clump of hair the size of a beer mug out of a girl’s stomach. As reported by the clinic in Opava, the eleven-year-old suffers from what is known as Rapunzel syndrome, a rare mental disorder in which those affected compulsively pull out their hair and eat.
The cylindrical ball of hair was therefore 20 centimeters long and had a diameter of eight centimeters. Hair is indigestible and gradually accumulates in the stomach.
Had the doctors not intervened, the 11-year-old would have developed increasing pain and lost weight, said lead surgeon Matus Peteja. “In extreme cases, the stomach wall could have been damaged or even perforated.” The little patient survived the operation well and is now being treated psychiatrically and psychologically.
Rapunzel syndrome was first reported in 1968, but only a few dozen cases have been documented worldwide. Common symptoms include vomiting, loss of appetite and gas. Rapunzel syndrome is often associated with depression, mental retardation, bulimia, personality disorders or schizophrenia. According to chief surgeon Peteja, it primarily affects young girls and women under the age of 20.
