Trichophagia

Trichophagia is the compulsive eating of hair. It often occurs with trichotillomania and can cause hair to accumulate in the digestive tract.

Trichobezoar: A compact mass of swallowed hair lodged in the stomach or intestine. It is the characteristic digestive complication of prolonged hair ingestion.
Trichotillomania: A disorder marked by recurrent hair-pulling that causes hair loss and repeated attempts to stop. Hair pulled during trichotillomania may be swallowed, linking the two behaviors.
Trichobezoar removal: Treatment to extract a compact mass of swallowed hair from the digestive tract. Large or obstructing hair masses may require endoscopic or surgical removal.
Compulsive behavior: A repetitive action experienced as difficult to resist, often despite unwanted consequences. The term captures the persistent, hard-to-control quality of hair eating.
Rapunzel syndrome: A trichobezoar extending from the stomach into the small intestine, sometimes with a trailing hair tail. This severe form can follow hair ingestion and extend beyond the stomach.
Body-focused repetitive behavior: A recurrent behavior directed at the body, such as hair-pulling or skin-picking. This broader category includes trichotillomania and other repetitive body-directed behaviors.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: A structured psychotherapy that changes unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. Behavioral treatment can address urges and routines associated with hair-pulling and ingestion.
Hair shaft: The visible portion of a hair, made largely of keratin and projecting from the skin. Swallowed hair consists of durable shafts that resist digestion.
Gastric outlet obstruction: Impaired passage of stomach contents into the small intestine. A large hair mass can block the stomach’s outlet and prevent normal emptying.
Pica: Persistent eating of nonfood substances that is developmentally inappropriate and not culturally sanctioned. Hair eating resembles pica but is often closely linked to hair-pulling.

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