Pica
A disorder characterized by persistent eating of non-nutritive, non-food substances (e.g. earth, clay, paint, chalk, ice, hair) for at least one month, in a manner that is not culturally sanctioned and causes physical harm or functional impairment.
Symptoms
- Ingestion of non-food substances for >=1 month (also: Ingestion of non-food substances, ingesting non-food substances, pica, eating non-food things, ingesting soil)
- Regular ingestion of soil, chalk, paper, hair, ice, lead (also: Regular ingestion of soil, chalk, paper, hair or ice, repeated eating of soil, chalk or paper, geophagy, pica, eating soil)
- Eating behaviors inappropriate for developmental stage (also: Eating behaviors inappropriate for developmental stage, eating behaviors inappropriate for age, atypical eating behaviors, immature eating behaviors, inappropriate eating)
- Risk of complications (poisoning, intestinal obstruction, parasitic infections) (also: Risk of complications – poisoning, obstruction, infections, possible health complications, health complications, health problems, negative health consequences)
- No association with cultural norms or religious practices (also: ingestion outside cultural context, not related to religious ritual, inconsistent with local customs, pathological appetite, spontaneous pica without cultural justification)
- Specific preferred substances (geophagy, pagophagy, trichophagy, plumbophagy) (also: geophagy (eating soil), pagophagy (eating ice), trichophagy (eating hair), plumbophagy (eating lead, paint), lithophagy (stones))
- Nutritional deficiencies (also: Co-occurring nutritional deficiencies (e.g. iron-deficiency anemia, lead poisoning), iron-deficiency anemia, lead poisoning, lead intoxication, zinc deficiency)
ICD-11 diagnostic criteria
- spożywanie substancji niejadalnych lub nieodżywczych
- zachowanie utrzymuje się przez co najmniej jeden miesiąc
- zachowanie jest nieodpowiednie dla wieku rozwojowego
How to recognise
In the ICD-11 framework, the core symptoms taken into account when recognising Pica are:
- spożywanie substancji niejadalnych
Differential diagnosis
When diagnosing Pica, the following ICD-11 disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis:
Synonyms and related terms
Ingestion of non-food substances, ingesting non-food substances, pica, eating non-food things, ingesting soil, Regular ingestion of soil, chalk, paper, hair or ice, repeated eating of soil, chalk or paper, geophagy, eating soil, eating behaviors inappropriate for age, atypical eating behaviors, immature eating behaviors, inappropriate eating, Risk of complications – poisoning, obstruction, infections, possible health complications, health complications, health problems, negative health consequences, ingestion outside cultural context, not related to religious ritual, inconsistent with local customs, pathological appetite, spontaneous pica without cultural justification, geophagy (eating soil), pagophagy (eating ice), trichophagy (eating hair), plumbophagy (eating lead, paint), lithophagy (stones), Co-occurring nutritional deficiencies (e.g. iron-deficiency anemia, lead poisoning), iron-deficiency anemia
Frequently asked questions
What are the symptoms of Pica?
Symptoms associated with Pica (ICD-11 6B84) include: Ingestion of non-food substances for >=1 month, Regular ingestion of soil, chalk, paper, hair, ice, lead, Eating behaviors inappropriate for developmental stage, Risk of complications (poisoning, intestinal obstruction, parasitic infections), No association with cultural norms or religious practices, Specific preferred substances (geophagy, pagophagy, trichophagy, plumbophagy), Nutritional deficiencies.
How is Pica diagnosed according to ICD-11?
According to ICD-11, the diagnostic criteria for Pica (6B84) include: spożywanie substancji niejadalnych lub nieodżywczych; zachowanie utrzymuje się przez co najmniej jeden miesiąc; zachowanie jest nieodpowiednie dla wieku rozwojowego.
What disorders are in the differential diagnosis of Pica?
The differential diagnosis of Pica (6B84) includes: Zespół unikania i ograniczania przyjmowania pokarmu (6B83).
WHO ICD-11 source
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