Hairball

File:Common house cat coughing hairball.ogvExample of the sounds and motions a common housecat makes when they are coughing up a hairball. File:Long-haired-cat-hairball.jpgA 10 cm (3.9 in) cat hairball.

WikiDoc Resources for Hairball

Articles

Most recent articles on Hairball

Most cited articles on Hairball

Review articles on Hairball

Articles on Hairball in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Hairball

Images of Hairball

Photos of Hairball

Podcasts & MP3s on Hairball

Videos on Hairball

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Hairball

Bandolier on Hairball

TRIP on Hairball

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Hairball at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Hairball

Clinical Trials on Hairball at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Hairball

NICE Guidance on Hairball

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Hairball

CDC on Hairball

Books

Books on Hairball

News

Hairball in the news

Be alerted to news on Hairball

News trends on Hairball

Commentary

Blogs on Hairball

Definitions

Definitions of Hairball

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Hairball

Discussion groups on Hairball

Patient Handouts on Hairball

Directions to Hospitals Treating Hairball

Risk calculators and risk factors for Hairball

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Hairball

Causes & Risk Factors for Hairball

Diagnostic studies for Hairball

Treatment of Hairball

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Hairball

International

Hairball en Espanol

Hairball en Francais

Business

Hairball in the Marketplace

Patents on Hairball

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Hairball

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:  Kiran Singh, M.D. [2]

## Overview

[edit | edit source]

File:Common house cat coughing hairball.ogvExample of the sounds and motions a common housecat makes when they are coughing up a hairball. File:Long-haired-cat-hairball.jpgA 10 cm (3.9 in) cat hairball.

A hairball is a small collection of hair or fur formed in the stomach of animals that is occasionally vomited up when it becomes too big. Hairballs are primarily a tight elongated cylinder of packed fur, but may include bits of other elements such as swallowed food. Hairballs are sometimes mistaken for other conditions of the stomach such as lymphosarcoma, tuberculosis, and tumour of the spleen.[1] Cats are especially prone to hairball formation since they groom themselves by licking their fur, and thereby ingest it. Rabbits are also prone to hairballs because they groom themselves in the same fashion as cats, but hairballs are especially dangerous for rabbits because they cannot regurgitate them. Because the digestive system of a rabbit is very fragile, rabbit hairballs must be treated immediately or they may cause the animal to stop feeding and ultimately die due to dehydration. Cattle are also known to accumulate hairballs, but as they do not vomit, these are found usually after death and can be quite large.

File:MaryHairBall.jpgA 5 cm (2 in) cat hairball.

## Clinical significance

[edit | edit source]

A trichobezoar is a bezoar (a mass found trapped in the gastrointestinal system) formed from the ingestion of hair. Trichobezoars are often associated with trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), are rare,[2] and can be fatal if undetected.[3][4][5][6] Surgical intervention is often required.[3][7]

## Diagnosis

[edit | edit source]

### Physical Examination

[edit | edit source]

#### Hair

[edit | edit source]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

* Trichotillomania-trichobezoars. Adapted from Dermatology Atlas.[8]

## Society and culture

[edit | edit source]

Although uncommon in humans, some hairballs have been reported. These hairballs occur when hair strands collect in the stomach and are unable to be ejected as a result of the friction on the surface of the gastric mucosa.[9] Hairballs are often seen in young girls as a result of trichophagia, trichotillomania and pica.[10] In 2003, a 3-year old girl in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada had a grapefruit-sized hairball surgically removed from her stomach; in 2004, an 18-year old woman from McAdam, New Brunswick, Canada, had a 2.3 kg hairball surgically removed from her lower intestine; and in 2014, a 9 pound hairball was removed from the stomach of an 18-year old in Kyrgyzstan.[11] Hairballs can be quite hazardous in humans,[12] since hair cannot be digested or passed by the human gastrointestinal system, and (assuming it is identified) even vomiting may be ineffective at removing the hair mass. This can result in the general impairment of the digestive system.

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* Rapunzel syndrome
* Trichobezoar

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ Rolleston, JD (1924). "Specimen of Hair-ball of the Stomach" (PDF). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 17 (Section for the Study of Disease in Children.): 5. PMC 2201872.
2. ↑ Sah DE, Koo J, Price VH (2008). "Trichotillomania" (PDF). Dermatol Ther. 21 (1): 13–21. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8019.2008.00165.x. PMID 18318881.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gorter RR, Kneepkens CM, Mattens EC, Aronson DC, Heij HA (May 2010). "Management of trichobezoar: case report and literature review". Pediatr. Surg. Int. 26 (5): 457–63. doi:10.1007/s00383-010-2570-0. PMC 2856853. PMID 20213124.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ↑ Ventura DE, Herbella FA, Schettini ST, Delmonte C (2005). "Rapunzel syndrome with a fatal outcome in a neglected child". J. Pediatr. Surg. 40 (10): 1665–7. doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2005.06.038. PMID 16227005.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
5. ↑ Matejů E, Duchanová S, Kovac P, Moravanský N, Spitz DJ (September 2009). "Fatal case of Rapunzel syndrome in neglected child". Forensic Sci. Int. 190 (1–3): e5–7. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.05.008. PMID 19505779.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ↑ Pul N, Pul M (1996). "The Rapunzel syndrome (trichobezoar) causing gastric perforation in a child: a case report". Eur. J. Pediatr. 155 (1): 18–9. doi:10.1007/bf02115620. PMID 8750804.
7. ↑ Dehghan A, Moaddab AH, Mozafarpour S. An unusual localization of trichobezoar in the appendix. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jun;22(3):357-8.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 "Dermatology Atlas".
9. ↑ Santiago, Sanchez CA (1996). "Trichobezoar in a 11-year old girl: a case report". Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico. 88 (1–3): 8. PMID 8885440.
10. ↑ Hairballs: Myths and Realities behind some Medical Curiosities, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Washington, D.C.
11. ↑ Dodds, Laurence. "Huge 9lb hairball removed from teenage girl's stomach." The Telegraph. September 30, 2014.
12. ↑ Girl died from eating her hair, BBC News, 1999-08-20