Welsh Toddler‘s Unusual Diet highlights Rare Pica Disorder
Cardiff, Wales – A 21-month-old Welsh boy is receiving support after developing pica, a rare disorder characterized by an intense craving to eat non-food items. The case, recently reported by the BBC, shines a light on the condition wich affects both children and adults, and can pose serious health risks.
Pica is defined by the persistent consumption of inedible substances like wood, earth, paper, plastic, and stones. While the exact number of cases is unknown, experts estimate around a hundred have been recorded worldwide, though this is highly likely an underestimate. In adolescents and young adults, pica can manifest as trichophagia – the eating of hair. The young welshman’s behavior is currently believed to be linked to an iron deficiency, identified through blood tests.
There is no specific cure for pica,and treatment focuses on modifying the compulsive behavior through therapy or redirecting the patient to edible alternatives. In this case,the toddler’s mother has found success offering licorice root as a safe chewing alternative,describing it as “literally a stick.”
While pica often resolves in young children as they move past the oral exploration stage, persistent cases - lasting longer then a month - require medical attention. The disorder can lead to health complications including stomach aches, constipation, poisoning (particularly lead poisoning from painted wood), and parasitic infections.Tragically,pica can even be fatal,either through digestive or airway obstruction.A 19-year-old man in the UK died in 2023 after choking on a paper towel due to pica.
