von Garnier Christophe, Stünitz Holger, Decker Michael, Battegay Edouard, Zeller Andreas
Medical Outpatient Department, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben, Basel, Switzerland.
J Med Case Rep. 2008 Oct 6;2:324. doi: 10.1186/1752-1947-2-324.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia worldwide. Pica, the ingestion of substances that are inappropriate for consumption, is associated with iron deficiency and may be under-diagnosed.
A 34-year-old woman presented with iron deficiency anaemia refractory to treatment for more than a decade. The clinical presentation, endoscopic findings and laboratory investigations were consistent with pica. Subsequent geophysical analysis confirmed that the ingested material was kaolin, a negatively charged silicate.
Prolonged unexplained iron deficiency anaemia should prompt clinicians to remember and inquire about pica. In our patient, this would have averted numerous unnecessary investigations and prevented a decade-long suffering.
缺铁是全球贫血最常见的原因。异食癖，即摄入不适合食用的物质，与缺铁有关，可能未得到充分诊断。
一名34岁女性患有缺铁性贫血，十多年来治疗效果不佳。临床表现、内镜检查结果和实验室检查均符合异食癖。随后的地球物理分析证实摄入的物质是高岭土，一种带负电荷的硅酸盐。
长期不明原因的缺铁性贫血应促使临床医生想起并询问是否有异食癖。对于我们的患者来说，这可以避免许多不必要的检查，并防止长达十年的痛苦。
