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Original

CRAVING FOR ICE AND IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA: A Case Series from Oman

, MD, , MD & , MD
Pages 127-131 | Received 30 Jul 2004, Accepted 01 Oct 2004, Published online: 09 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Pagophagia, or the practice of consuming ice, is a particular expression of the more general phenomenon of pica. Pagophagia is a complex behavioral phenomenal arising from the interplay of biochemical, hematological, psychological, and cultural factors. This compulsive dietary aberration is observed in many children and pregnant women worldwide. The authors report 3 cases of severe iron deficiency anemia with a serum ferritin level of 2–3 ng/mL, in which the patients were consuming 2 trays and many bags of ice per day. Following treatment with iron therapy, pagophagia spontaneously resolved within 2 weeks. It is a commonly missed problem. Pediatricians should be alert to this phenomena and its association with iron-deficiency anemia.

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