Bareilly: 2 Kg Of Hair Surgically Removed From Stomach Of 21-Year-Old Woman Suffering From 'Rapunzel Syndrome'

The woman acknowledged that she had been chewing her hair since she was five years old. On September 26, surgery was performed to remove the hair from her body.

Doctors in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, successfully removed around 2 kg of human hair from the stomach of a 21-year-old woman, who had been eating her hair for the past 16 years whenever she got the chance.

The condition, clinically diagnosed as trichophagia, or Rapunzel Syndrome, involves compulsive hair pulling and ingestion. According to the doctors, the hair had completely "captured the cavity" of her stomach and had even extended into part of her intestine. The woman, a resident of Kargaina, was diagnosed on September 20 after a CT scan revealed the hair accumulation.

"Trichophagia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that involves the repeated ingestion of hair. It's often associated with trichotillomania, a condition that involves compulsively pulling out one's own hair," Dr. MP Singh, a surgeon at the district hospital in Bareilly, told news agency PTI.

Bareilly News: Surgery Performed to Remove Hairball

After her diagnosis, the woman was counselled at the hospital and admitted to having been chewing her hair since she was five years old. The surgery to remove the hair from her body was performed on September 26.

"The quantity of hair had completely captured the cavity of her stomach and even some part of her intestine," stated Dr. Singh. The patient’s condition made her unable to eat solid food and caused her to vomit whenever she consumed liquids.

"The psychological problem the patient had is called Trichophagia. The operation was held for trichobezoar, and the syndrome is called the Rapunzel syndrome," Dr. Singh said.

What Is Rapunzel Syndrome

Elaborating about Rapunzel syndrome, Dr. Singh informed, "Rapunzel syndrome is an unusual form of trichobezoar found in patients with a history of psychiatric disorders, trichotillomania (habit of hair pulling), and trichophagia (morbid habit of chewing the hair), consequently developing gastric bezoars. The principal symptoms are vomiting and epigastric pain."

He characterised trichobezoar as a hairball that can occur in the gastrointestinal tract. "It can be benign, but it can also cause serious health concerns and require emergency surgery." He further explained that the illness can lead to symptoms such as weight loss, constipation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain.

"The causes of trichophagia are unknown, but some theories suggest it could be due to genetic predisposition, social environment, or neurobiological factors," Dr. Singh said. He also noted that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is regarded as the most effective treatment for trichotillomania.

Hospital in-charge Dr. Alka Sharma described the case as particularly rare, stating, "No such case has been reported in the last 20 years." The woman is currently receiving counselling at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the woman's family reported that she had developed an addiction to hair pulling, and her condition became evident when she started experiencing severe abdominal pain, which led to the CT scan that revealed the hairball.