CHENNAI: A 13-year-old girl who has been battling depression from childhood without any regular treatment was taken to a private hospital with severe stomach pain.

The evaluation and diagnostic procedures showed that she had a huge ball of entangled hair in her stomach.

The hair extended to a long distance and was blocking her intestine as well.

The doctors at the Sri Ramachandra Hospital led by Dr. Prakash Agarwal, head of the department, Paediatric Surgery performed an immediate surgery to save her life. An endoscopy procedure revealed that the girl had a bundle of long hairs that she had swallowed and it had to be removed to save her life.

The hairball was found to extend for long distances as a tail, also known as Rapunzel syndrome, which is a very rare disease predominant in females. This was causing obstruction and perforation of the intestine, necessitating a very major surgery. The girl made an uneventful recovery and was sent home with regular psychiatric medications.

“Eating one’s own hair known as Trichophagia is a feature of some psychiatric disorders especially in females. In the long run, this can result in the formation of hair balls causing serious intestinal complications. Hence, it is prudent to identify and treat the mental health derangement early to avoid major surgical interventions” said Dr. Prakash Agarwal, Head of the Department, Paediatric Surgery, who did the procedure.