In Uralsk, doctors at the Multidisciplinary Regional Children's Hospital performed surgery on a child whose stomach contained a massive accumulation of hair. The foreign body, known as a trichobezoar, weighed almost one kilogram, according to infohub.kz.
The hair mass was discovered during an examination. Due to its size and density, doctors had to resort to full surgical intervention—removing it endoscopically was not possible.
A trichobezoar is a dense ball of matted hair that forms in the stomach due to the habit of constantly swallowing one's own or others' hair—trichophagia. This condition is most common in children and adolescents.
Parents are advised to watch for a number of warning symptoms: pain and heaviness in the upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, rapid fullness during meals, and weight loss. Bad breath and a palpable lump in the abdominal area should also raise concern.
"When the hairball grows so large that it begins to extend from the stomach into the duodenum and small intestine, this condition is called Rapunzel syndrome. It is deadly dangerous due to its complications—intestinal obstruction, internal bleeding, and even rupture of the stomach wall," doctors note.
The condition is diagnosed using fibrogastroduodenoscopy (FGDS), as well as ultrasound and computed tomography. While a small accumulation of hair can sometimes be removed endoscopically, advanced cases require surgery.
After surgical treatment, patients invariably need the help of a child psychologist or psychiatrist, since the habit of eating hair is linked to emotional disorders and behavioral problems.