Al-Sharbati Marwan M, Zaidan Ziad A J, Al-Hussaini Ala'adin, Al-Khalili Khalid
Department of Behavioural Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P O Box 35.
J Sci Res Med Sci. 2003 Aug;5(1-2):49-50.
Pica, where the patient eats non-food items such as mud, clay, varnish etc., is a common behavioural problem seen in children, pregnant women and the mentally retarded. However sponge pica is a very rare variation. We report a case of a 5-year-old Omani girl, who presented with sponge pica since the age of two years, with recent abdominal pain. Investigations showed anaemia, elevated liver enzymes and normal intelligence. There was no evidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both clinical and laboratory findings showed complete recovery after a few weeks of oral iron therapy. Her appetite improved, and she started to gain weight. No recurrence was observed when followed up after two years. Awareness is necessary to detect and treat pica as early as possible to prevent its complications.
异食癖是指患者食用泥土、黏土、清漆等非食物物品的行为，这是儿童、孕妇和智障人士中常见的行为问题。然而，海绵异食癖是一种非常罕见的变体。我们报告一例5岁阿曼女孩的病例，该女孩自两岁起就出现海绵异食癖，并伴有近期腹痛。检查显示贫血、肝酶升高且智力正常。没有强迫症的证据。临床和实验室检查结果均显示，口服铁剂治疗几周后完全康复。她的食欲改善，体重开始增加。两年后随访未观察到复发情况。提高认识对于尽早发现和治疗异食癖以预防其并发症很有必要。
