pica and Constipation

Nutrition assessment and counseling are integral components of preconception and prenatal care. The average-size woman should gain between 11.25 and 15.75 kg (25 and 35 lb) during a normal pregnancy. Some factors identify the pregnant woman with a nutrition risk. Vitamin and mineral supplementation should be based on a dietary assessment. Common discomforts of pregnancy frequently can be managed with dietary modification and safe pharmacotherapeutics. The coordinated efforts of health care providers, registered dietitians, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, local health departments and Cooperative Extension Service offices can provide appropriate nutrition assessment, education and intervention.

Topics: Caffeine; Constipation; Female; Humans; Lactose Intolerance; Nausea; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Pica; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Sodium, Dietary; Substance-Related Disorders; Vomiting; Weight Gain

Geophagy is widespread among women from Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and the Caribbean and may persist in western countries. This practice may be associated with adverse effects such as anaemia, constipation or intestinal occlusion. We aimed to determine the prevalence of geophagy and the level of knowledge about its health effects among healthy adults originating from these countries and attending a travel medicine and international vaccination consultation in France. Among 101 travellers enrolled in the study, 83 (82.1%) were born in Sub-Saharan Africa and 13 (12.8%) in South America or the Caribbean. The mean duration of residence in France was 15.6 ± 10.4 years. Previous or current geophagy was present in 42 travellers [previous geophagy in 31 (30.7%) and current consumption in 11 (10.9%)]; 38 (90.5%) were women. The rate of awareness of harmful effects of geophagy as the risk of iron-deficient anaemia (18.8%) and soil-transmitted intestinal parasitic infections (11.9%) was low overall. Women with previous or current geophagy more often had history of iron therapy compared to those who never consumed, both during pregnancy (50.0 versus 14.3%; p = 0.0009) and outside pregnancy (47.4 versus 2.8%; p < 0.0001). Despite a long period of residence in France, geophagy was still a current practice among 10.9% of Sub-Saharan, South American and Caribbean travellers, who are poorly informed of its harmful effects. Therefore, specific information tailored to Sub-Saharan, South American and Caribbean about the risks of geophagy should be implemented in western countries.Level of evidence Level V, descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Topics: Adult; Africa South of the Sahara; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Caribbean Region; Constipation; Emigrants and Immigrants; Female; France; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Intestinal Obstruction; Male; Middle Aged; Pica; Prevalence; Soil; South America

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a high prevalence of co-occurring medical conditions, including speech, sleep, and gastrointestinal disorders (constipation and feeding difficulties); developmental delay; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; hypotonia; epilepsy; anxiety; disruptive behavior; pica; and eczema. Less is known about whether these commonly coexist in the same children. We sought to determine clinically meaningful, statistically significant associations among co-occurring medical conditions in children with ASD that could lead to better understanding, identification, and treatment of these disorders.. We studied 2114 children with ASD aged 17 months to 5years and 1221 children aged 6 to 17years at 15 Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network Registry sites. Clinician-reported diagnoses and problems were grouped into 12 core conditions. We determined the observed prevalence (O) of co-occurring conditions and the estimated expected prevalence (E) across the network, adjusting for sitevariability in the prevalence of individual conditions. Pvalues were calculated using a Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test stratified by site. We identified pairs of conditions co-occurring more frequently than expected (O/E >1) and less frequently than expected (O/E <1) and highlighted statisticallysignificant differences.. Among the 66 condition pairs for each age group, we confirmed previously identified associations, such as sleep disorders and anxiety symptoms, in older children. We found some associations not previously described, including feeding with sleep disorders (younger children only), constipation with sleep disorders, feeding with speech disorders, and constipation with speech disorders.. We have identified new associations among co-occurring medical conditions in children with ASD, offering the potential to examine common pathways.

Topics: Adolescent; Anxiety; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child; Child, Preschool; Comorbidity; Constipation; Developmental Disabilities; Eczema; Epilepsy; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Muscle Hypotonia; Pica; Prevalence; Sleep Wake Disorders; Speech Disorders; United States

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Cognitive Dysfunction; Constipation; Foreign Bodies; Heart Arrest; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pica; Rectal Diseases

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Adolescent; Bezoars; Constipation; Female; Gastric Outlet Obstruction; Hair; Humans; Pica; Stomach

Topics: Basophils; Chelating Agents; Child, Preschool; Constipation; Dimercaprol; Edetic Acid; Erythrocyte Indices; Female; Hemoglobins; Humans; Lead; Pica; Radiography; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Constipation; History, 19th Century; Humans; Louisiana; Nose Diseases; Periodicals as Topic; Pica; Skin Diseases

Topics: Child, Preschool; Constipation; Humans; Male; Pica

Two primary school age children having severe pica for sand, presented with severe constipation caused by sandy faecal impaction, simulating intestinal obstruction. Digital disimpaction and enema relieved the symptoms.

Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Constipation; Diagnosis, Differential; Enema; Fecal Impaction; Female; Humans; Intestinal Obstruction; Pica