# A hairy tail in the stomach: A silent warning

## TL;DR

This paper discusses two cases of teenagers with trichotillomania who developed severe stomach issues from eating their hair.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the rare but serious medical consequences of trichotillomania through two new case reports.

## Key findings

- Both patients had a history of compulsive hair-pulling and eating, leading to gastrointestinal complications.
- Surgical intervention was required to remove hair masses from the stomach and intestines.
- Psychiatric referral was necessary for long-term management of the underlying disorder.

## Abstract

Trichotillomania is a psychiatric disorder in which one is urged to pull hairs and eyelashes out and one is urged to eat these pulled-out hairs, resulting in Rapunzel syndrome (a rare disorder where gastric trichobezoars traverse into the small intestine and can lead to intestinal obstruction). Here we present two case reports. In the First case, a 17 years old boy presented with a history of recurrent pancreatitis and microcytic anemia, while the other patient was a 16 years old female presenting with complaints of epigastric pain and non-projectile, foul-smelling vomiting associated with a low-grade fever. Both had a history of depression and compulsive hair-pulling and eating. After successful surgical management, both patients were eventually referred to Psychiatry.