Pica and pagophagia — Pica refers to a perverted appetite for substances not fit as food, such as clay or dirt (geophagia), paper products, or starch (amylophagia). It may be modified by cultural or ethnic factors that affect dietary practices [22,23].
Pagophagia, or pica for ice, is considered quite specific for the iron deficiency state [24,25]. It may be present in patients who are not anemic and responds rapidly to treatment with iron, often before any increase is noted in the hemoglobin concentration. In one study of 55 unselected patients with iron deficiency anemia secondary to gastrointestinal blood loss, pica was present in 32 and pagophagia in 28 [25].
Source: UpToDate



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