Man having Pica Disorder found with almost 60 inedible items in stomach

In the world of medical mysteries, conditions like Pica Disorder stand as one of the most perplexing and captivating. It is a strange ailment which compels individuals to consume non-food items.

Recently, a case of Pica Disorder came into the limelight when Kuldeep Singh, a 35-year-old man from Punjab, India, presented with chronic stomach pain and fever.

What doctors discovered inside his stomach was nothing short of astonishing – nearly 60 household items, from buttons to earphones.

Let's look in depth at what is this "Pica Disorder", and its common symptoms, and finally understand the case of Punjab's Kuldeep Singh in this regard.

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What is Pica Disorder?

Pica disorder leads to craving of non-food items like metal objects, paper, wood, glass, or other items (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Pica Disorder is a bewildering mental health condition, that compels individuals to compulsively ingest non-nutritive, non-food items, ranging from small things like buttons or paper, to potentially perilous objects like glass or nails.

The main reason behind it is still unknown, but it is usually linked to nutritional deficiency, developmental disorders, and psychological issues. The disorder is usually observed in young children, pregnant women, and people with psychiatric issues like autism, schizophrenia, etc.

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Major symptoms of Pica Disorder

Pica Disorder is usually observed in growing children, which makes them want to eat inedible items like paper, toys, shoes, and other items (Image by User18526052 on Freepik)

Identifying Pica Disorder is harder than it seems as it depends on the type of items being ingested and the suspected individual’s age. But some of the commonly observed symptoms are as follows:

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1. Consumption of inedible items

This is the foremost symptom and the suffering individual is observed to have an urge or actually ingest non-edible items like hairs, cloth, chalk, soap, paper, metal objects, dirt, etc.

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2. Psychological distress

A person suffering from Pica disorder often finds it embarrassing to admit their eating disorder, which leads to them hiding from people about their condition and not being able to seek any sort of treatment.

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3. Compulsive behaviour

A person with Pica disorder becomes compulsive towards their needs of eating inedible objects and are not able to resist their cravings. They might even behave violently if told to do otherwise.

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4. Associated health risks

Both physical and mental health are affected by Pica disorder. The consumption of these solid, non-food items causes a lot of damage to the gastrointestinal tract like cuts, wounds, and blockages, and along with it, the person becomes vulnerable to this eating habit, leading to deteriorating mental health.

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The case of Kuldeep Singh’s Pica Disorder

Kuldeep Singh had a high fever along with a severe stomach ache (Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik)

Kuldeep Singh was a patient of Pica Disorder and his family was completely unaware of this. For two years, he had a constant stomach ache and was experiencing a high fever, after which he decided to seek treatment at Moga Medicity Hospital in Moga, Punjab.

The doctors asked him to undergo an X-ray, whose results astonished himself as well as the doctors, and he was immediately referred to undergo surgery to remove the inedible items he had ingested due to his Pica disorder symptoms.

The range of items obtained from Kuldeep’s stomach shows that there’s no particular order in which these items are being consumed. They can be plastic, glass, or metal, and have the potential to cause painful wounds in the gastrointestinal canal on ingestion.

Ajmer Singh Kalra, Director of the Moga Medicity Hospital, said about Kuldeep Singh’s case:

“On carrying out an X-ray, we found lockets, chains, nuts, bolts, earphones, and many other objects inside the stomach. Since he had eaten sharp objects, there were severe wounds in his stomach. He is still on a ventilator and is critical.”

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The surprising case of Kuldeep Singh highlights the need for increased awareness about Pica Disorder, and how it is not limited to growing children and pregnant women only.

Timely diagnosis is highly essential in such a condition to prevent ingestion of items that can cause cuts and blockages in the gastrointestinal tract, which can be life-threatening.

Pica Disorder remains a compelling mystery, that requires more research and attention, as well as sympathy for suffering individuals.