December 18, 2014
A bezoar is a ball of swallowed foreign material (usually hair or fiber) that collects in the stomach and fails to pass through the intestines.
Back to TopAlternative Names
Back to TopCauses
Chewing on or eating hair or fuzzy materials (or indigestible materials such as plastic bags) can lead to the formation of a bezoar. The rate is very low and the risk is greater among mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed children. Generally bezoars are mostly seen in females aged 10 to 19.
Back to TopOutlook (Prognosis)
Full recovery is expected.
Back to TopWhen to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if you suspect your child has a bezoar.
Back to TopPrevention
If your child has had a hair bezoar in the past, trim the child's hair short so he or she cannot put the ends in the mouth. Keep indigestible materials away from a child who has a tendency to put items in the mouth.
Be sure to remove the child's access to fuzzy or fiber-filled materials.
Back to TopReferences
Kelsen J, Liacouras CA. Foreign bodies and bezoars. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 326.
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