Maybe you are hearing the words pika syndrome for the first time, maybe you just heard it. In this article, we will discuss the pica syndrome, which is foreign to the ears but should be known.
Behavioral disorders exhibited by children when they try to eat things like soil, clay, paint, batteries, sand, salt, hair, etc. may be a harbinger of Pica Syndrome. Pica Syndrome, which occurs as a desire to eat foreign substances, is mostly encountered in the Central Anatolian Region of our country.
It has been observed that Pica Syndrome, which is called a behavioral disorder, can be observed from infancy and can last until childhood and even adulthood. The urge to eat against non-food foreign substances in Pica Syndrome, which has a risk of recurrence, is the fact that patients eat knowing that they will harm themselves. Their inability to resist their cravings even though they know it will be harmful, increases the risk of recurrence of the disease.
Elements such as iron, zinc and copper, which are deficient in the body, are shown as the reason for the onset of Piko Syndrome. The most important problem in children with Piko Syndrome is anemia due to iron deficiency. It is observed that the development slows down or even regresses as a result of anemia and zinc deficiency. In addition, there are some complaints about foreign substances that are eaten in the intestines. Foreign substances that cannot be digested can cause parasites in the intestines, hair and hairballs that may occur in the abdomen, lead accumulation in children who eat paint, and cause serious digestive system problems. Malnutrition can also be a problem.
What to do for children with pico syndrome:
The treatment process begins with the observation and correct diagnosis of a specialist physician. Anemia and zinc deficiency can be determined by blood test and can be eliminated with the treatment to be applied by the physician. Iron deficiency anemia and zinc deficiency are the most important findings. With the help of these findings, the sick child should be observed very well, appropriate drug treatment should be started, and it should be supported with nutritional supplements.
In nutritional supplementation, eating foods rich in iron; Red meat, egg yolk, liver, legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and grape molasses are supportive. Regular and periodic consumption of these will be a support method that will make drug therapy successful. In addition, taking care to consume green leafy and iron-rich vegetables are the right ways to overcome Pica Syndrome.
One of the ways to get support is to proceed in line with the recommendations of child psychologists as well as drug therapy.
We wish all our children to be healthy…. Organickid Family.