pica and Deficiency-Diseases

: To determine the impact of contaminant iron and geophagy on iron intake and status of persons living in developing countries.. : Literature for review was identified by searching Medline and Agricola, from appropriate other texts and from three reports from the Opportunities for Micronutrient Interventions (OMNI) Project of USAID.. : The dietary intake of iron by people living in developing countries is generally high but iron deficiency remains prevalent. This apparent paradox is because the iron being consumed is predominantly in the non-haem form, which is poorly absorbed. Some of this non-haem iron is from contamination of food with iron from soil, dust and water; iron leaching into food during storage and cooking; contamination during food processing such as milling; and the practice of geophagy.. : Although the contribution of contaminant iron to overall iron intake is well documented, its absorption and thus its impact on iron status is not. To be available for absorption, contaminant iron must join the common non-haem pool, i.e. be exchangeable. The absorption of exchangeable contaminant iron is subject to the same interactions with other constituents in the diet as the non-haem iron that is intrinsic to food. The limited available evidence suggests wide variation in exchangeability. In situations where a significant fraction of the contaminating iron joins the pool, the impact on iron status could be substantial. Without a simple method for predicting exchangeability, the impact of contaminant iron on iron status in any particular situation is uncertain.. : Interventions known to increase the absorption of iron intrinsic to foods will also increase absorption of any contaminant iron that has joined the common pool. Any positive effect of geophagy resulting from an increased intake of iron is highly unlikely, due to inhibiting constituents contained in soils and clays. The efficacy of approaches designed to increase the intake of contaminant iron remains encouraging but uncertain. An approach using multiple interventions will continue to be essential to reduce iron deficiency anaemia.

Topics: Biological Availability; Deficiency Diseases; Developing Countries; Food Contamination; Humans; Iron; Iron Deficiencies; Iron, Dietary; Pica; Soil

Pica is the compulsive eating of non-food substances over a sustained period of time. It remains an intriguing, little understood occurrence, with a potential for both positive and negative outcomes. In this review information is given on the history of the phenomenon, its prevalence among children and women, and its relation to iron and zinc deficiency. A number of examples of pica practice are reported from Africa.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Africa; Child; Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Female; Humans; Infant; Iron Deficiencies; Male; Pica; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Zinc

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Behavior Therapy; Child; Deficiency Diseases; Dietary Proteins; Disease Susceptibility; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health Status; Humans; Iron; Male; Middle Aged; Pica; Pregnancy; Self Medication

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Anemia, Hypochromic; Animals; Calcium, Dietary; Child; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Fingersucking; Gastric Mucosa; Humans; Infant; Intestinal Absorption; Iron; Lead; Lead Poisoning; Nail Biting; Pica; Protein Deficiency; Rats

Topics: Body Weight; Deficiency Diseases; Diet, Diabetic; Diet, Reducing; Edema; Female; Fetus; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Obesity; Physician-Patient Relations; Pica; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy in Diabetics

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Body Height; Body Weight; Child; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Diet; Emaciation; Female; Growth Disorders; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional Requirements; Pica; Pregnancy; Puerto Rico; Socioeconomic Factors; United States; West Indies

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Black People; Child; Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Infant; Intestinal Absorption; Ion Exchange; Iron; Male; Mercury; Middle Aged; Minerals; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Pica; Potassium; Pregnancy; Socioeconomic Factors; Soil

Topics: Adult; Anemia, Hypochromic; Clinical Trials as Topic; Deficiency Diseases; Electron Transport Complex IV; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Hemoglobinometry; Humans; Ice; Iron; Iron-Dextran Complex; Mouth Mucosa; Pica

Topics: Deficiency Diseases; Humans; Ice; Iron Deficiencies; Pica

Topics: Animals; Bezoars; China; Deficiency Diseases; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Goat Diseases; Goats; Nutrition Disorders; Pica; Prevalence; Seasons; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Wool

Topics: Animals; Avoidance Learning; Body Weight; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary; Deficiency Diseases; Drinking Behavior; Female; Humans; Iron Deficiencies; Lead Poisoning; Magnesium Deficiency; Male; Pica; Quinine; Rats; Taste; Zinc

The syndrome of dwarfism, hypogonadism, iron-deficiency anemia and geophagia, first reported in 1960 from Iran, was thought to be limited to males. In 1971-1972 two females with the same clinical features were observed over a 14-month period. The anemia responded rapidly to iron. Growth and sexual development occurred promptly when 120 mg of zinc sulfate was administered daily in conjunction with a well-balanced diet and iron supplement. This diet prior to the addition of zinc sulfate, resulted in gradual but much slower growth and sexual development. Observations in these two patients provide confirmation of the occurrence of human zinc deficiency in females, which responds to large doses of zinc salt.

Topics: Adult; Anemia, Hypochromic; Deficiency Diseases; Dwarfism; Female; Humans; Hypogonadism; Iran; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Pica; Sex Factors; Soil; Syndrome; Zinc

Topics: Acceleration; Accidents; Accidents, Traffic; Asphyxia; Child; Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Drowning; England; Environmental Health; Female; Fires; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lead Poisoning; Male; Mortality; Pediatrics; Pica; Poisoning; Radiation Effects; Wales

Weanling rats eating a low calcium diet voluntarily ingested lead acetate solutions in much greater proportions than did iron-deficient or control weanlings. This increased ingestion occurred even with high concentrations of lead acetate which normal weanlings found extremely aversive. Chronic injections of lead acetate into weanlings did not change lead ingestion, indicating an absence of behavioral regulation of body lead levels. Female lead-injected weanlings did show a significant increase in calcium ingestion. Calcium deficiency may be one component of lead pica.

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Deficiency Diseases; Female; Food Preferences; Humans; Iron; Lead; Male; Pica; Rats; Sex Factors

Topics: Adolescent; Deficiency Diseases; Diarrhea; Dietary Proteins; Female; Helminthiasis; Humans; Hypoproteinemia; Iran; Liver Cirrhosis; Male; Nutrition Disorders; Pica; Protein Deficiency; Protein-Losing Enteropathies; Serum Albumin; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal; Zinc

Topics: Child, Preschool; Deficiency Diseases; Female; Growth Disorders; Hair; Humans; Pica; Zinc

Topics: Africa, Southern; Anemia, Hypochromic; Deficiency Diseases; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Iron; Pica; Turkey; United States

Topics: Anemia, Hypochromic; Deficiency Diseases; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Humans; Ice; Iron; Pica; Time Factors

Topics: Adolescent; Age Factors; Anemia, Hypochromic; Blood Cell Count; Blood Platelets; Body Height; Body Weight; Child; Child, Preschool; Copper; Deficiency Diseases; Dwarfism; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Folic Acid; Hemoglobins; Hepatomegaly; Humans; Hypogonadism; Male; Pica; Sex Factors; Soil; Splenomegaly; Turkey; Zinc

Topics: Deficiency Diseases; Dietary Proteins; Humans; Hunger; Pica; United States

Topics: Deficiency Diseases; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Iron; Iron Metabolism Disorders; Leg; Paresthesia; Pica; Restless Legs Syndrome

Topics: Adolescent; Anemia; Child; Deficiency Diseases; Dyspepsia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Helminthiasis; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutrition Disorders; Pica