Pagophagia is a condition in which patients have an intense urge to chew ice. The condition is not life-threatening but may have complications. There are many causes of this condition, like nutritional deficiency and psychological problems.
Pagophagia is a behavioural abnormality characterised by the intense carving in patients for chewing ice. Pagophagia is considered a pica, which is a term used for the desire of a person to eat non-nutritional items. If the person occasionally enjoys chewing the ice, it is not pagophagia. However, if the urge to chew the ice is prolonged, sustained, and intense, the person is said to suffer from pagophagia. It is generally not a serious condition but requires attention as it may result in other medical issues, such as dental issues due to chewing ice.
The most common symptom of pagophagia is chewing ice regularly. The patients have a habit of chewing crushed ice, ice cubes, shaved ice, and frost regularly. Other symptoms that accompany include:
The following are the most common causes of pagophagia:
Several psychological issues may result in pagophagia. Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, stress, anxiety, and developmental disorder are at increased risk for developing pagophagia.
Iron deficiency is a common cause of pagophagia. Approximately 16% of patients with iron deficiency experience pagophagia. Patients with iron deficiency experience increased alertness and mental sharpness after chewing ice. Researchers also argue that people with iron deficiency may have pagophagia to reduce tongue swelling, a common symptom of iron deficiency.
People with an eating disorder may also experience pagophagia. It may be due to reducing hunger by chewing ice without any extra intake of calories. This habit of managing satiety may develop into pagophagia.
There are several other issues that result in the increased urge of the patients to chew ice. These include deficiency of calcium genetic influence and infection. In addition, pagophagia may also develop while managing a dry mouth through chewing ice.
In most cases, the condition remains undiagnosed due to its non-harming characteristics. However, if the condition is caused due to underlying medical conditions, it may result in complications. The patient should consult the doctor if he has been chewing and craving a large amount of ice for over a month. The patients should note down the answers to the possible questions that may be asked by the doctor to accurately diagnose the condition. The doctor may ask the following questions:
The doctor may advise the patients to undergo blood tests to determine the level of iron and other micronutrients that may cause pagophagia. Further, the doctor should also enquire about the personal life of the patients as pagophagia may also be caused due to stress and anxiety.
The treatment of pagophagia is done based on the cause. Some of the treatment options include:
Pagophagia is not a serious condition. However, if not treated, it may lead to certain complications. These are:
Rohit Jain is an IPR Specialist and Medical Content Writing Expert. For over a decade, he has written several articles in the areas of female infertility, Erectile dysfunction, hemangioma, cervical cancer, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, mononucleosis, mitral valve disorder, nerve sheath tumor, shin splints, mild cognitive impairment, cellulitis, brain metastases, atelectasis, MCAD deficiency, lymphoma, sepsis, cardiac rehabilitation and metabolic disorder among others.
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