eMedicine Specialties > Pediatrics: Developmental and Behavioral > Medical Topics
Eating Disorder, Pica: Follow-up
Updated: Jun 4, 2009
Follow-up
Further Outpatient Care
- Treatment of pica is conducted primarily on an outpatient basis in consultation with multidisciplinary professionals as described above.
Prognosis
- Pica frequently spontaneously remits in young children and pregnant women; however, it may persist for years if untreated, especially in individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Patient Education
- Educate patients regarding healthy nutritional practices.
Miscellaneous
Medicolegal Pitfalls
- Failure to recognize signs and symptoms of pica
- Failure to inform patients of the dangers of eating nonnutritive substances
- In some areas, lead hazard reduction is a legal responsibility of home owners and landlords for homes with hazardous lead-based paint conditions discovered either by direct testing or after a child inhabitant is found to have elevated blood lead levels. Remediation of the residence by licensed lead abatement professionals will eliminate lead hazards by removing, sealing, or enclosing lead-based paint with special materials and may require temporary relocation of the child.
More on Eating Disorder, Pica |
| Overview: Eating Disorder, Pica |
| Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Eating Disorder, Pica |
| Treatment & Medication: Eating Disorder, Pica |
Follow-up: Eating Disorder, Pica |
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References
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Johnson CD, Shynett B, Dosch R, Paulson R. An unusual case of tooth loss, abrasion, and erosion associated with a culturally accepted habit. Gen Dent. Sep-Oct 2007;55(5):445-8. [Medline].
Young SL, Wilson MJ, Miller D, Hillier S. Toward a comprehensive approach to the collection and analysis of pica substances, with emphasis on geophagic materials. PLoS ONE. Sep 5 2008;3(9):e3147. [Medline].
Singh NN, Ellis CR, Crews WD, Singh YN. Does diminished dopaminergic neurotransmission increase pica?. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 1994;4:93-9.
Dougall A, Fiske J. Access to special care dentistry, part 6. Special care dentistry services for young people. Br Dent J. Sep 13 2008;205(5):235-49. [Medline].
Lerner AJ. Treatment of pica behavior with olanzapine. CNS Spectr. Jan 2008;13(1):19. [Medline].
American Psychiatric Association. DSM-IV-TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision. American Psychiatric Press;2000:103-105.
Binder BJ, Goodman SL, Henderson P. Pica: a critical review of diagnosis and treatment. In: The Eating Disorders. 1988:331-44.
Ellis CR, Singh NN, Crews WD Jr. Pica. In: Singh NN, ed. Prevention and Treatment of Severe Behavior Problems: Models and Methods in Developmental Disabilities. Wadsworth Pub Co; 1997:253-69.
Florin TA, Brent RL, Weitzman M. The need for vigilance: the persistence of lead poisoning in children. Pediatrics. Jun 2005;115(6):1767-8. [Medline].
Lyons-Ruth K, Zeanah CH, Benoit D. Disorder and risk for disorder during infancy and toddlerhood. In: Mash EJ, Barkley RA, eds. Child Psychopathology. Guilford Press; 1996:457-91.
McAdam DB, Sherman JA, Sheldon JB, Napolitano DA. Behavioral interventions to reduce the pica of persons with developmental disabilities. Behav Modif. Jan 2004;28(1):45-72. [Medline].
Motta RW, Basile DM. Pica. In: Phelps L, ed. Health-Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Guidebook for Understanding and Educating. American Psychological Association; 1998:524-7.
Piazza CC, Fisher WW, Hanley GP, et al. Treatment of pica through multiple analyses of its reinforcing functions. J Appl Behav Anal. Summer 1998;31(2):165-89. [Medline].
Van Zeeland AA, Simons JW. Linear dose--response relationships after prolonged expression times in V-79 Chinese hamster cells. Mutat Res. Apr 1976;35(1):129-37. [Medline].
Further Reading
Keywords
geophagia, eating clay, eating soil, eating dirt, pagophagia, eating ice, plumbophagia, eating lead, amylophagia, eating laundry starch, coprophagia, eating feces, cautopyreiophagia, eating burnt matches, eating burnt match heads, trichophagia, eating hair, lithophagia, eating stones, geomelophagia, eating raw potatoes, acuphagia, eating sharp objects, inappropriate eating, eating of nonnutritive substances, eating nonfood items, eating disorder, pica, GI tract complications, hyperkalemia, toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis, mechanical bowel problems, constipation, intestinal ulcerations, intestinal perforations, intestinal obstructions, mental retardation, autism, lead toxicity, lead encephalopathy, soil-borne parasitic infections, trichuriasis, bezoar formation, zinc deficiency syndromes, iron deficiency syndromes
Follow-up: Eating Disorder, Pica