This day in history: Jasmine Beever, 16, of Skegness, England, died of peritonitis brought about by Rapunzel syndrome on this day in 2017. She had a long-time habit of chewing and swallowing her own hair (trichophagia) which formed a hairball in her stomach, leading to an infection in her abdomen damaging her vital organs.
Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare intestinal condition in humans resulting from ingesting hair (trichophagia). The syndrome is named after the long-haired girl Rapunzel in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Trichophagia is sometimes associated with the hair-pulling disorder trichotillomania. This syndrome is a rare and unusual form of trichobezoar. Since 1968, there have been fewer than 40 documented cases in the literature. This syndrome occurs when the trichobezoar (hairball) reaches past the small intestine, and sometimes even into the colon producing a long tail-like extension of hair.
Rapunzel syndrome is mainly seen in emotionally disturbed or mentally disturbed young females. The first known case dates back to a 16-year-old boy in 1779. Of the cases reported, the typical age range affected from this syndrome is between 4 and 19 years of age. There is no specific region that is subject to developing this condition, however of the cases reported all of the women came from countries where women traditionally had long hair. Women are more subject to this disorder because women often have longer hair than men. There is only one reported male case of Rapunzel syndrome, but he was eating his sister's hair and not his own.
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