Pica Research Paper

The word Pica is from a Latin word called Magpie. Magpie is a bird known for its large and indiscriminate appetite. Between 10% and 30% of kids’ ages one to six years old have pica, which is an eating disorder that can result in Lead Poisoning and Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Pica is compulsive eating disorder that causes health problems from eating non-food items. Pica is defined as a compulsive eating of substances that are not commonly considered to be food (Kamal, Ihab, John Thompson, and Dana M. Paquette). It is also known as a craving, that last a month or longer, of eating non-food items (“Pica”). Craved items vary depending on age (“What is Pica”). Most recent ages that Pica is usually found between the ages of twenty-six to forty-six, however children are
able to get Pica, too. (“Pica”). Women who are pregnant often have Pica. This eating disorder is sometimes found in kids with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. People who have developmental disabilities, mentally disabled, epilepsy, or a brain injury affecting their development can have this eating disorder, Pica. Determined by the nature and amount of the ingestion substances, this eating disorder can lead to a significant medical sequelae. Affected people might eat potentially life-threatening items. Some examples of what they eat are flakes of dried paint, pieces of metal, and ice (“What Causes Pica?”). Young children usually ingest paint, plaster, hair, and cloth (“Pica”). Other children may eat glue, animal dropping, sand, insects, leaves, grass, or gavel. Adults consume clay, laundry detergent and sometimes soil (“What Causes Pica?”). Some other non-food items that are consumed in pica patients are dirt, paint chips, plaster, chalk, cornstarch, laundry starch, backing soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes, burnt match heads, cigarette butts, buttons, paper, tooth paste, or soap.
There are no laboratory studies on Pica yet, but they do screening of the blood to detect how much lead is in their blood.
Pica can only be diagnosed by a doctor based on the history and various other factors. Certain conditions can increase a person’s risk of getting this eating disorder. Some signs of a child who might have Pica include repetitive consumption of non-food items, despite efforts to restrict it, for a period of at least one month, the behavior is considered inappropriate for the child’s age or developmental stages, older then eighteen to twenty-four months old. Risks that may result in having pica are nutritional deficiencies, dieting, malnutrition, cultural factors, parental neglect, lack of supervision, food deprivation, developmental problems, mental health conditions, pregnancy (“Pica”).
There was a twenty-six year old man who had several foreign objects removed from the esophagus, a grass bezoar and a large poker chip in his body. Also, there was a thirty year old man who ingested a latex glove, and there was a non-verbal mentally retarded forty-six year old woman how had a history of pica and had a four day period of frequent vomiting (Kamal, Ihab, John Thompson, and Dana M.
Paquette).
Zach is a five year old boy who has been eating his bedroom. He has Autism, and is not able to speak. Also, he is not able to tell the difference between food and inedible objects. This boy has been eating blinds and plaster from the walls. His mother plans to build a safe room without any objects he can eat (Miller, Daniel).
Adele Edwards is a thirty-one year old and is a mother of five kids, she consumes couches as if they were candy. She has also gone through seven couches in twenty-one years and eats at least one throw pillow every week. Edwards eats the foam in the cushions and grabs for it fifteen times a day. She had to go to the hospital for a blockage in her lower intestines, they told her to use laxatives it worked and passed a foam ball as big as a grape-fruit, but even though she lived through that her doctor told her if she keeps eating sofas she is going to die. Adele has tried to do therapy including hypnosis, but that did not work. So, she was prescribed iron supplements and hopes it will help her compulsive behavior (Donaldson James, Susan).
Pica is a very serious eating disorder that can eventually lead to death. This disorder is when someone has the craving of eating something that is not edible. Affected people might eat potentially life-threatening items. There are unknown causes of this disorder, but hopefully someday researchers will figure out what causes this deadly disease.