Craving or Eating Non Food Items
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Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (GP / Family doctor)
Dr Patel graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine. She worked in clinical research at the University of Illinois in Chicago and University of Nevada in Las Vegas focused on culturally adapted health interventions for preventive medicine in the community setting. Received her Master's of Science in Global Health (concentration in Health Policy) from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. Unnati went on to complete her family medicine residency in Chicago, Illinois at Norwegian American Hospital. | | She is currently working as a primary care physician in the city of Chicago and completing her Master's of Business Administration at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and Fellowship in Leadership in Value-Based Care.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
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I want to eat the soil
I want to eat my hair
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Content updated on Jan 4, 2023
About the symptom
It refers to compulsive and persistent craving and eating of substances that aren't food or have no nutritional value or benefit.
When to see a doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
Craving or eating non food items
Possible causes
- Anemia
Anemia is a disorder in which the body's tissues don't get enough oxygen due to insufficient healthy red blood cells. There are several types anemia with various causes, the most common being iron-deficiency anemia which is a result of insufficient iron. Iron is required to produce haemoglobin, a substance in the red blood cells which help carry oxygen.
Questions your doctor may ask about this symptom
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom
Have you had cravings to eat non-food items such as soil, paper or clay?
Do you have whitish, curd-like substances on the tongue or surfaces of the mouth?
Do you have dry mouth?
Do you have headaches or does your head feel heavy?
Do you have slurred speech?
Other Related Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from the same body system / part
References
Leung AKC, Hon KL. Pica: A Common Condition that is Commonly Missed - An Update Review. Curr Pediatr Rev. 2019;15(3):164-169. doi: 10.2174/1573396315666190313163530. PMID: 30868957.
http://www.eurekaselect.com/article/97302
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (GP / Family doctor)
Dr Patel graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine. She worked in clinical research at the University of Illinois in Chicago and University of Nevada in Las Vegas focused on culturally adapted health interventions for preventive medicine in the community setting. Received her Master's of Science in Global Health (concentration in Health Policy) from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. Unnati went on to complete her family medicine residency in Chicago, Illinois at Norwegian American Hospital. | | She is currently working as a primary care physician in the city of Chicago and completing her Master's of Business Administration at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and Fellowship in Leadership in Value-Based Care.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
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Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD
Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)
National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan