Girl, 16, Eats Hair For 2 Years
Surgery required to remove massive hairball blocking her gut, despite no mental illness history
A 16-year-old girl has been diagnosed with the extremely rare 'Rapunzel Syndrome', a condition where a hairball forms in the stomach. The girl had been pulling out and eating her hair about once a week for two years, resulting in a hairball large enough to obstruct her gastrointestinal tract.
The girl's condition was discovered after she arrived at the hospital emergency department following a day of persistent vomiting. A CT scan revealed a hairball in her abdomen, which was later identified as a trichobezoar, a mass of hair that gets trapped in the gastrointestinal system.
Despite the girl's unusual behavior of pulling out and eating her hair, she had no history of mental illness and showed no visible signs of hair loss. The girl pulled only three hairs at a time, about once a week, for two years, without raising any concerns about her mental health.
Rapunzel Syndrome is often associated with psychiatric conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, in this case, the girl did not meet the criteria for any mood disorders and was meeting normal developmental milestones.
The girl underwent surgery to remove the hairball, which was causing a blockage in her gastrointestinal tract. The condition is very rare and can be life-threatening if left untreated.
## Why it matters The case highlights the importance of being aware of the potential complications of trichotillomania, a disorder where people compulsively pull out their own hair. While the girl's behavior may have seemed harmless, it ultimately led to a serious condition that required surgical intervention. The fact that the girl had no history of mental illness and showed no visible signs of hair loss makes this case even more unusual and emphasizes the need for increased awareness of this rare condition.
