5-year-old boy has rare disease, eats nearly 0.5kg of hair

(Dan Tri) - Doctors at Ninh Thuan General Hospital, Khanh Hoa province, performed surgery to remove a hairball weighing nearly 0.5 kg from the stomach of a 5-year-old boy suffering from trichotillomania.

On July 16, a representative of Ninh Thuan General Hospital confirmed that they had successfully performed surgery to remove nearly 0.5 kg of hair from the stomach of a 5-year-old boy.

Previously, a 5-year-old patient from Lam Dong province was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain and vomiting. The child was weak, often vomiting after eating, and had a bloated stomach.

Hair bun taken from the patient's stomach (Photo: Ninh Thuan General Hospital).

Upon examination, the doctors discovered a hard mass in the child’s stomach, containing a lot of food. The doctor then performed surgery to open the child’s stomach and removed a mass of hair weighing nearly 0.5 kg, mostly hair, occupying almost the entire stomach and extending down to the beginning of the duodenum.

After surgery, the patient was able to walk normally, eat and drink and was in stable health.

According to doctors at Ninh Thuan General Hospital, trichotillomania is a rare psychological disorder. When hair is eaten, it cannot be digested and gradually accumulates in the stomach, causing serious health problems.

Doctors recommend that parents should closely monitor their children's behavior. When they detect unusual signs such as pulling out and eating hair, they should take their children to medical facilities for timely consultation, diagnosis and treatment.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/be-trai-5-tuoi-mac-chung-benh-hiem-an-gan-05kg-toc-20250716184817258.htm