Geophagy associated with severe anemia in non-pregnant women: A case series of 12 patients

• Published in: La revue de medecine interne Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 53 - 55
• Main Authors: Adehossi, E, Malam-Abdou, B, Andia, A, Djibrilla, A, Sani Beydou, S, Brah, S, Daou, M, Chiche, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01-01-2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anemia - complications; Anemia - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Pica - epidemiology; Pica - etiology; Severity of Illness Index; Young Adult; Géophagie; Carence martiale; Anemia; Africa; Geophagy; Anémie; Non-pregnant women; Iron deficiency; Afrique; Femme non gravide
• ISSN: 1768-3122
• DOI: 10.1016/j.revmed.2016.02.019

Geophagy or soil eating is mostly described in pregnant women from Sub-Saharan Africa, South America. Here, we report 12 cases of geophagy associated with severe anemia in non-pregnant Nigerian women.
The median age at diagnosis was 34.5 years. The socioeconomic level was average for all patients. The median hemoglobin level at admission was 6.9g/dL (3.3-8.6), median corpuscular volume was 78.3fL (63-106) and median serum ferritin was 9.2ng/mL (3.6-11.2). The reasons of this practice were "desire" (5/12) and tradition (4/12). All patients received psychotherapy and supplementation with intravenous iron.
Geophagy is an underestimated practice in developed countries and in non-pregnant women. It can be the cause of severe iron deficiency and must be discussed in patients with anemia, including non-pregnant patients, and in Africa as well as in migration areas, where the practice can be exported.