Pica

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Pica

Definition:

Pica is a pattern of eating non-nutritive substances (such as dirt or paper), lasting for at least one month.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Pica is seen more in young children than adults, with 10-32% of children aged 1 to 6 exhibiting these behaviors.

Pica can occur during pregnancy. In some cases, specific nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency anemia and zinc deficiency, may trigger the unusual cravings. Pica may also occur in adults who crave a certain texture in their mouth.

Review Date: 5/4/2004
Reviewed By: Ram Chandran Kalyanam, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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