What Is Pagophagia And How Is It Treated скачать в хорошем качестве

What Is Pagophagia And How Is It Treated

What Is Pagophagia and How Is It Treated Pagophagia is a term used to describe the compulsion to chew ice Although it is regarded as a form of pica a psychological disorder characterized by eating nonfood items like hair and paper pagophagia may also be a sign of dry mouth or irondeficiency anemia a condition in which a lack of iron causes a drop in healthy red blood cells rnrn While chewing ice may seem like a harmless habit it may result in damage to the teeth rnrn This article describes the symptoms and causes of pagophagia It also explains how pagophagia is diagnosed and what can be done to manage this condition rnrn The primary symptom of pagophagia is the compulsive chewing and eating of ice While its normal to occasionally enjoy crunching on ice cubes such as after finishing a drink those with pagophagia may have an intense urge to regularly chew on ice cubes ice chips or frost from the freezer This cause may be psychological but may also be a physiological response to irondeficiency anemia rnrn When pagophagia is a form of pica it can easily be missed by anyone who is not disturbed by it Moreover because eating ice usually isnt dangerous it isnt associated with the type of severe symptoms such as stomach pain constipation diarrhea vomiting or bloody stool commonly seen in people who compulsively eat clay rocks or paint chips rnrn Pagophagia and other forms of pica are by nature habitual but may worsen when there are additional stresses in ones life rnrnA classic sign of picaassociated pagophagia is relentless chewing of ice even when teeth are damaged or missingrnrn Pagophagia is an entirely different issue if it occurs as a result of iron deficiency Irondeficiency anemia is a form of anemia that occurs when you dont have enough iron in your body Iron is essential to the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin the ironcontaining molecule that carries oxygen throughout the body rnrn Iron deficiency tends to develop slowly because the body usually has ample reserves in the bone marrow and liver When iron levels start to plummet pagophagia can sometimes be an early albeit commonly missed sign of deficiency rnrn When pagophagia occurs with iron deficiency the consumption of ice will start with a sudden craving and worsen in tandem with the depletion of iron rnrnPagophagia is generally not associated with other forms of anemia such as hemolytic anemia pernicious anemia or aplastic anemiarnrn When caused by irondeficiency anemia pagophagia will likely occur in tandem with the classic symptoms of anemia including rnrn The symptoms of irondeficiency anemia in children can differ from those in adults One of the characteristic signs in kids is the lightening of mucous membranes inside the mouth on the tongue and most especially on the inner eyelids and conjunctiva whites of the eyes rnrn As with the symptoms of pagophagia the causes of pagophagia may be either psychological or physiological rnrn Occasional ice chewing is not an indication of pagophagia Pica by definition is abnormal and excessive eating of nonnutritive substances including ice for longer than one month that is inappropriate to the development of the individual Simply put it is a behavior that is both damaging to health or wellbeing and compulsive meaning that you are unable to stop the behavior even if you are aware of it rnrn Some researchers have noted that people with pagophagia tend to eat at least one tray of ice per day Some cases are even more extreme manifesting with dental injury tooth loss and nutritional deficiencies rnrnAccording to the American Psychiatric Association APA feeding and eating disorders including pica are closely aligned with obsessivecompulsive disorder OCD Stress almost invariably makes symptoms worsernrn It is not uncommon for pagophagia to occur with other forms of pica including geophagia the eating of dirt amylophagia starch lithophagia rocks and trichophagia hair wool and other fibers rnrn Children and adults with autism will often experience pagophagia and other forms of pica as part of a repetitive and therefore psychologically comforting behavior rnrn Within the context of anemia pagophagia can develop in response to acute iron deficiency This is evidenced in part by studies that have shown that iron supplementation can reverse symptoms of pica and anemia including restless leg syndrome in recent blood donors rnrn This is supported by research in which pica is more common in parts of the developing world where nutritional deficiencies are widespread In the developed world pagophagia is seen mainly in children pregnant women and people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery rnrn A common cause of iron deficiency in children is related to growth spurts in which the nutritional needs of a ch