Pica (disorder)

Pica is an abnormal appetite for earth and other non-foods. The condition's name comes from the Latin word for the bird we call a magpie which is reputed to eat almost anything. Pica is common in small children, and occasionally in pregnant women. In extreme forms it is regarded as a medical disorder.

Examples of pica are:

• geophagy (consumption of soil)
• mucophagy (consumption of mucus)
• trichophagia (consumption of hair or wool)
• coprophagia (consumption of excrement)
• amylophagia (consumption of starch)
• pagophagia (consumption of ice)
• peniiphagia (consumption of penii)
• xylophagia (consumption of wood toothpicks)
• coniophagia (consumption of dust from Venetian blinds)
• gooberphagia (pathological consumption of peanuts)
• please add more examples to this list

Pregnant women have been known to develop strong cravings for soil, chalk, laundry starch, and other non-foods. Some theorize that the women may be craving trace minerals lacking in their system, but there have been no major studies on this.

Warning: pica in children, while common, can be dangerous: children eating painted plaster may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning from lead in the paint. In additon to posioning, there is also a much elevated risk of gastro-intestinal obstruction or perforation.

External link

• Hundreds of coins found in patient's belly