Doctor warns compulsive ice consumption may indicate medical problem

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025
Doctor warns compulsive ice consumption may indicate medical problem

A medical expert warns that compulsive ice consumption may signal an underlying illness, such as iron deficiency anaemia or an eating disorder. Seek medical advice if symptoms persist.

A medical school lecturer has warned that people who compulsively consume ice should see a doctor, as they may have an underlying illness.

Assoc Prof Dr Werasak Charaschaisri, a lecturer at Srinakharinwirot University’s medical school, said that individuals who feel the urge to consume ice all day, every day, may be driven to do so by their brain due to an underlying medical condition they are unaware of.

Werasak explained that compulsive ice consumption is medically termed pagophagia, a type of eating disorder classified under pica.

Pica is an eating disorder characterised by the persistent consumption of non-nutritive substances for at least one month. Common substances consumed by individuals with pica include dirt, clay, ice, paint chips, hair, fabric, and soap.

Werasak stated that consuming between two and 11 cups of ice every day for over two months should be diagnosed as pagophagia.

He added that some medical research has linked pagophagia to iron deficiency anaemia, stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and abnormal childhood development.

Werasak cited a study published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (JAANP), which indicated that people with iron deficiency anaemia tend to develop pagophagia.

Doctor warns compulsive ice consumption may indicate medical problem

He quoted the journal’s explanation that anaemia leads to fatigue due to reduced oxygen supply to the brain. In response, the brain may prompt individuals to consume ice, as this causes blood vessels to contract, increasing oxygen delivery to the brain.

However, Werasak noted that no medical research has definitively confirmed this theory. Nonetheless, a study involving 81 people with iron deficiency anaemia found that 13 of them exhibited a strong urge to chew ice. Once these 13 patients were treated with iron supplements, they stopped consuming ice.

As a result, Werasak urged individuals with a compulsive urge to consume ice to seek medical advice for proper diagnosis.

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