Pica and refractory iron deficiency anaemia: a case report

Management of Cheilitis Granulomatosa with Pica Disorder: A Rare Case Report

Aim

To report a rare case of cheilitis granulomatosa (CG) with pica disorder presented as chronic persistent lip swelling with an unusual eating disorder.

Background

Cheilitis granulomatosa or Miescher's cheilitis is a rare, persistent, or recurring nontender chronic painless swelling of one or both the lips due to granulomatous inflammation, which was first described by Miescher in 1945. It can present as a monosymptomatic form or as a part of other entities of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS).

Case description

A 14-year-old female patient presented with persistent diffuse swelling of the upper lip for 1 year. She also had an unusual habit of eating clay, mud, and potentially harmful items like flakes of paint for 1.5 years. Clinically, chronic persistent lip swelling involving upper lip and gingival enlargements were present along with systemic manifestations. Patient counseling with combination therapy showed excellent response with no signs of relapse at 6 months of follow-up.

Conclusion

Cheilitis granulomatosa is a unique rare inflammatory disorder with many possible contributory factors and exact etiology is poorly understood.

Clinical significance

This case report draws attention to constant exposure to an allergen that could be one of the possible etiological factors to CG secondary to pica eating disorder. Though it is a rare disease, research on the pathogenesis of CG and clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of the various treatments are needed to enhance our understanding of this disease, to improve the quality of life, as patients are very disturbed by the unsightly and distressing nature of macrocheilitis.

How to cite this article

Dayanarayana U, Shastry SP, Kempegowda RT, et al. Management of Cheilitis Granulomatosa with Pica Disorder: A Rare Case Report. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(4):483-489.

Revisiting geophagy: An evolved sickness behavior to microbiome-mediated gastrointestinal inflammation

Geophagy, the consumption of clay or similar substances, is known as an evolved behavior that protects vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and children, against gastrointestinal injury. However, perplexing questions remain, like the presence of geophagy in the absence of overt gastrointestinal infection and the potential causal relationship between geophagy and iron deficiency anemia. In this review, we hypothesize that geophagy is an inflammation-mediated sickness behavior regulated via the vagus nerve. We further hypothesize that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between inflammation and geophagy. By including inflammation and the microbiome within the existing protection hypothesis, we can explain how subclinical gastrointestinal states induce geophagy. Furthermore, we can explain how gastrointestinal inflammation is responsible for both geophagy and iron-deficiency anemia, explaining why the two phenomena frequently co-occur. Ultimately, defining geophagy as a sickness behavior allows us to integrate the gut-brain axis into geophagy research.

Kaolin Clay Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is a common diagnosis encountered in the nutrition, primary care, and gastroenterology fields. Iron deficiency anemia most often leads to evaluation for various malabsorption disorders and colonoscopy to exclude colon cancer as an etiology. We present a case of iron deficiency anemia that was caused by geophagia. After the culprit dietary habit was stopped, the patient's iron deficiency anemia subsequently resolved.

High prevalence of kaolin consumption in migrant women living in a major urban area of France: A cross-sectional investigation

Geophagia is a feeding behavior involving the regular intake of soil, including clay-like kaolin. Frequent in Africa, kaolin consumption is associated with heavy metal intoxication, iron and other micronutrient deficiencies, geohelminth infection and inactivation of concomitantly taken drugs. It is expected that this practice would be imported into an asylum country during the immigration process. To confirm this hypothesis, a single center, cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Hospital of Nantes, France, whose main objective was to assess whether the prevalence of kaolin consumers was high in a migrant population living in a large French metropolitan area (the city of Nantes). Each woman consulting for the first time at the Medical and Psychosocial Gynecology Obstetric Unit during the inclusion period ranging from January 1, 2017, to July 1, 2017, was asked for consent to be included in the study. The main outcome was the proportion of positive answers regarding consumption of kaolin within the last twelve months, with its 95% confidence interval (CI). A logistic regression was performed to identify drivers of consumption, and a clustering approach was conducted to identify profiles of consumers. A total of 284 women were included in the study, of whom 110 (38.7%) were pregnant. Our main finding was a 14.1% (95% CI: 10.5-18.6) prevalence of clay consumers. Second, the characteristic most strongly associated with consumption was Central or West Africa origin (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 52.7; 95% CI: 13.7-202.2). Finally, 60% of consumers showed signs of addictive-like phenomena, and three profiles were identified, depicting a continuum of patients in regard to their control over their kaolin consumption. Our results suggest that kaolin consumption is frequent in particular subpopulations of migrants. This warrants further study of the clinical consequences of kaolin consumption and its associated addictive-like symptoms.

Pica: A Common Condition that is Commonly Missed - An Update Review

BACKGROUND

Pica is a common condition in childhood that is commonly missed.

OBJECTIVE

To familiarize physicians with the clinical evaluation and management of children with pica.

METHODS

A PubMed search was completed in Clinical Queries using the key term "pica" OR "dirteating". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews. Only papers published in English literature were included in this review. The information retrieved from the above search was used in the compilation of the present article.

RESULTS

Pica refers to the persistent, compulsive craving for and the ingestion of substances usually considered inedible and the behavior is discordant with cultural practices and continues beyond the normal developmental phase of occasional indiscriminate and experimental mouthing and swallowing over a period of at least one month. The condition is more common among children in lower socioeconomic classes and those who are mentally handicapped or emotionally deprived. Pica is a significant cause of anemia and lead poisoning. Pica generally resolves in children of normal intelligence after they have been trained to discriminate between edible and inedible items and proper supervision is provided. While relief of family economic and housing difficulties is an adjunct, attention to the individual's emotional needs and stresses is of paramount importance. Children with iron deficiency anemia should be treated with iron replacement therapy. Complications such as gastrointestinal obstruction and lead poisoning should be promptly recognized and treated.

CONCLUSION

Pica is often an overlooked phenomenon and its association with iron deficiency and lead poisoning has been known for centuries. The underlying cause and complications should be treated if possible. Primary care physicians should be aware of pica and proactively seek information about pica in patients that belong to the high-risk groups.

Iron-deficiency anemia with lithobezoar (pica): a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in a 5-year-old Nigerian child

BACKGROUND

Despite a high prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in developing countries such as Nigeria, intestinal obstruction secondary to lithobezoar (an accumulation of ingested stones within the gastrointestinal tract) is uncommon.

CASE PRESENTATION

Herein, we report a case of acute intestinal obstruction secondary to ingestion of large pebbles and IDA in a 5-year-old Nigerian boy. The patient was managed conservatively with the use of laxatives and a rectal wash-out, and the pebbles were excreted over 3 days. Oral iron therapy was also commenced with cessation of pica.

DISCUSSION

Although the direction of causal relationship between pica and IDA remains debatable, routine screening for iron deficiency among children with lithobezoar is recommended. Besides managing complications associated with lithobezoar, such as intestinal obstruction, prompt initiation of iron therapy among those who present with features of iron deficiency may be beneficial.

Intestinal Obstruction due to Colonic Lithobezoar: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

Bezoar is defined as the accumulation of undigested foreign bodies or nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. These foreign bodies can be hair (trichobezoar), fibers or seeds of vegetables and fruits (phytobezoar), or remnants of milk (lactobezoar) and stones (lithobezoar). Lithobezoar, the accumulation of stones in the digestive tract, is commonly seen in stomach. In this paper, a 7-year-old girl with colonic lithobezoar who presented with constipation, abdominal pain, and the history of pica was successfully treated by the extraction of the stones under general anesthesia.