Health

Doctors Remove Huge Hairball From Stomach Of Teen Addicted To Eating Own Locks

Published

8 years ago

January 21, 2017

Doctors Remove One Of World’s Biggest Hairballs From Stomach Of Teen Addicted To Eating Her Own Locks

Doctors in India claim to have removed one of the world’s biggest hairballs from the stomach of a girl addicted to eating her own hair .

The giant one-metre-long hairball, which weighed 2.5lbs, was surgically removed from an 18-year-old.

Doctors in Kashmir removed the growth from the teenager’s stomach after she arrived at hospital complaining of discomfort and a severe abdominal pain.

The doctors said the hairball was entangled to the intestines – which had left her unable to eat or even drink water.

Dr Iqbal Saleem, who led the team of surgeons which carried out the procedure, said: “The hairball must have been there for at least two years.

“We removed the entire bunch of hair through laparoscopic surgery.

“We used laparoscopy so that the girl was not left with any scars around her abdomen. It was the biggest hairball removed without a general surgery.”

The family of the girl revealed that she was addicted to eating hair but no one found out until she complained of a severe stomach ache.

The hair chewing condition known as Rapunzel syndrome, is a rare condition in which a hairball (called a trichobezoar) is found in the stomach, with its tail in the colon.

Dr Saleem said: “Before and after the surgery, we psychologically counselled the girl and it would continue for a few weeks so that she completely stops chewing her hair.”

The girl has now been able to eat meals properly.

She will go home with her parents after two days of observation in the hospital and has promised to stop chewing on her hair even when no one’s watching.