Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jan;8(1):195-6.
doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2014/6829.3959. Epub 2014 Jan 12.

Pagophagia - a common but rarely reported form of pica

M S Bhatia  1 , Nirmaljit Kaur  2
Affiliations

Pagophagia - a common but rarely reported form of pica

M S Bhatia et al. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

Pagophagia is a particular form of pica characterized by ingestion of ice, freezer frost or iced drinks often associated with iron or calcium deficiency. It occurs due to a complex interplay in between behavioural components. Only few cases of pagophagia have been reported from India.We report a case, a married lady, who presented with pagophagia and responded to fluoxetine.

Keywords: Pica; Selective Serotonin reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. C Sontag, A Kettaneth, O Fain, M Thomas. Rapid regression of prolonged pagophagia after treatment of iron deficiency. Presse Med. 2001;130:321–23. - PubMed
    1. Ms Bhatia, S Srivastava, S Sharma. Pagophagia responded to citalopram. Indian Practioner. 2005;58:790–91.
    1. MS Bhatia, R Gupta. Pica responding to SSRI: An OCD spectrum disorder? World J Biol Psychiatry. 2009;10:936–8. - PubMed
    1. JC Barton, JC Barton, LF Bertoli. Pica associated with iron deficiency or depletion: clinical and laboratory correlates in 262 non-pregnant adult outpatients. BMC Blood Disord. 2010 December 22;10(9) doi: 10.1186/1471-2326-10-9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. MA al-Kanhal, IA Bani. Food habits during pregnancy among Saudi women. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1995;65:206–10. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources