Soil Eating in Patients with Pica Syndrome

The sale of soil for the purpose of 'eating' on social networking sites drew attention. Accounts that bring products such as clay soil and chalk from various countries and regions and offer them for sale by cargo earn money by selling these soils, which they claim to be "sterile", to patients with pica syndrome. On a social media account, half a kilogram of soil claimed to be brought from Konya is sold for 35 liras, while half a kilogram of mixture claimed to be brought from different regions is sold for 100 liras.
The habit of eating objects such as soil, clay, chalk, and coal is called pica syndrome in medicine. Although the name of the pica syndrome is not known among the public, people tend to eat these substances due to reasons such as iron, zinc, and calcium deficiency. However, according to specialists, this situation does not eliminate the deficiency of any mineral, and can even cause constipation, parasites in the intestines, mercury poisoning, and low sexual desire in adults.

“Nutritional Deficiency Causes Pica Syndrome”

Stating that pica syndrome is seen in 5-10% of children, Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Pediatric Hematology Specialist Dr. Çetin Timur said that pica syndrome can even cause severe neurological disorders and made the following statement: “Pica syndrome is more common in societies with low socioeconomic status and low educational level. The reason for this is that nutrition is adversely affected compared to developed countries. Since the consumption of foods such as red meat, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese decreases due to their insufficient financial situation, the intake of these elements decreases, and therefore the picture we call pica is more common in people with a low socioeconomic level. In order to correct this, the pica rate can be decreased by improving the socio-economic status of the people, increasing the educational level, that is, educating the society on this subject and improving the economic status of the society.”

“It Causes Mercury Poisoning and Neurological Disorders”

Stating that mercury poisoning, severe neurological disorders, intestinal parasites, and loss of libido in adults can be seen in those with pica syndrome, Specialist Dr. Timur continued his words as follows: “You can get parasites, parasite eggs with the soil, you can be exposed to mercury or lead poisoning. Their effects are not seen in a short time. As you eat, it starts to come out slowly. Severe neurological disorders may occur. Pictures such as attention deficit, behavioral disorder, and decrease in educational success can be seen frequently in children, in other words, academic achievements decrease, and the child's growth lags.”

“Adults May Experience Loss of Libido”

Touching on the effect of the syndrome in adults, Specialist Dr. Timur said, “In adults, loss of libido may develop again, or sexual insufficiency may develop. In other words, it is a very different and serious situation that needs to be prevented and intervened.”

What Is Pica Syndrome and What Are Its Causes?

Explaining the symptoms of pica syndrome, Yeditepe University Hospital Pediatric Hematology Specialist Dr. Timur concluded his words as follows: “In pica syndrome or pica disease, there is persistent consumption of non-nutritive foods for at least one month without being disgusted. These non-nutritive substances are primarily soil and clay soil. In addition, we can mention the objects such as paper, coal, ice, the match ends, whitewash, cement, and chalk. The main causes of pica syndrome are malnutrition, nutrition disorder, and especially iron deficiency, and as a result, individuals and children tend to eat different objects for iron deficiency. In addition, foreign body eating can be a coping mechanism in some psychiatric diseases, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.”

iyet.com