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    Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2005 Mar;22(2):127-31.

    Craving for ice and iron-deficiency anemia: a case series from Oman.

    Osman YM, Wali YA, Osman OM.

    Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University, Alkodh, Oman.

    Pagophagia, or the practice of consuming ice, is a particular expression of the more general phenomenon of pica. Pagophagia is a complex behavioral phenomenon arising from the interplay of biochemical, hematological, psychological, and cultural factors. This compulsive dietary aberration is observed in many children and pregnant women worldwide. The authors report 3 cases of severe iron deficiency anemia with a serum ferritin level of 2-3 ng/mL, in which the patients were consuming 2 trays and many bags of ice per day. Following treatment with iron therapy, pagophagia spontaneously resolved within 2 weeks. It is a commonly missed problem. Pediatricians should be alert to this phenomena and its association with iron-deficiency anemia.

    PMID: 15804997 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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