A teenage girl addicted to chewing her hair for many years now, was operated to find 7 kg ball of hair. The 17-year-old from Jharkhand identified as Sweety Kumari, underwent an operation after she complained of stomach ache. In a six-hour procedure, doctors removed the 7 kg ball of hair. The operation was carried out in a private hospital in Bokaro district by a team of doctors led by De GN Sahu. Photos and short clips of the surgery which has gone viral, shows, doctors, pulling out a large mass of hair from her abdomen. It had formed into a big ball over several years. Three years ago, she was suspected to have a tumour in her stomach. Ball of Hair Removed From Ahmedabad Girl’s Stomach; All About Rapunzel Syndrome or Trichophagia – The Hair-Eating Disease.

Dr Sahu said that in his 40-year career it was the first time, he had seen such a massive accumulation of hair in the abdomen. Doctors said that she is stable and was set to be released from the hospital after a preliminary observation. Eating hair is a condition known as Rapunzel syndrome wherein the person eats hair and finds the habit unstoppable. As hair is not biodegradable, when people chew and swallow strands, it can collect in the stomach and form together into a clump. 770gm Lump of Hair Removed From the Stomach of Mumbai Woman, Know What Is Rapunzel’s Syndrome, Trichotillomania and Trichophagia.

According to the British Medical Journal, as of 2018, only around 90 such cases have been reported. The presence of the hairball in the abdomen can cause problems, including dehydration, malnutrition, vomiting, abdominal pain and bowel obstruction. The girl's parents agreed that their daughter had a habit of putting her hair in her mouth and swallowing it over the years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2020 07:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).