Credit: Sera Young, Columbia University Press
Dirt Eaters and Other Pica Cases Nearly Double in Decade
The number ofِ people hospitalized withِ pica, theِ disorder inِ which people eat non-edible substances including dirt andِ chalk, hasِ nearly doubled withinِ a decade, a newِ study finds.
Between 1999 andِ 2009, yearly hospitalizations inِ the United States forِ this disorder increased 93 percent, fromِ 964 toِ 1,862, saidِ the report fromِ the government’s Agency forِ Healthcare Research andِ Quality.
Pica isِ most commonly foundِ in children, pregnant women andِ people withِ autism andِ other developmental disabilities.
