A 6-year-old girl was admitted to Quang Ngai Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital on 8/12. Her family reported that she frequently ate her own hair. Doctors diagnosed her with Rapunzel syndrome, a psychological disorder causing individuals to pull out and consume their hair. This syndrome often affects young girls, particularly before primary school.

Surgeons from the hospital's surgery and anesthesiology departments performed a gastrotomy, successfully removing the 0,5 kg hairball. The patient's condition stabilized following the operation.

The medical team used endoscopy to discover the hairball in the girl's stomach. *Photo: Hospital provided*

"Individuals with this condition typically eat and drink normally," doctors explained, "but prolonged hair ingestion can lead to reflux, intestinal obstruction, stomach ulcers, and even life-threatening complications."

This patient marks the second Rapunzel syndrome case treated at the hospital in recent months.

Pham Linh