This month for our Rare Disease of the Month blog we're discussing Pica, which is a condition that often appears in conjunction with other conditions. The word Pica is from the latin for Magpie , which is a bird associated with odd eating habits. It was first documented in medicine in 1563. Pica has the potential to be dangerous, even fatal, depending on the substances the person is eating. Snapshot: Pica is when a person repeatedly eats substances with no nutritional value such as dirt, ice, paint, stones, or even glass. Eating these substances must occur for at least 1 month and at an age where it's developmentally appropriate to not engage in this behavior (aka a 3 month old eating a piece of dirt is not Pica). The most common substance eaten is ice, which may seem benign, and can lead to cracked teeth, slowed digestion, and weight gain. There are several subtypes of Pica, depending on the preferred substance to eat. Complications may occur. For example, lead pois
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