Hairball

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Example of the sounds and motions a common housecat makes when it is coughing up a hairball.
A 10 cm (3.9 in) cat hairball

A hairball is a small collection of

digestive systems, hairballs in rabbits must be treated immediately or they may stop feeding and ultimately die from 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.

A 5 cm (2.0 in) cat hairball

Clinical significance

A trichobezoar is a

hair pulling).[2] Trichobezoars are rare, but can be fatal if undetected.[3][4][5][6] Surgical intervention is often required.[3][7]

Society and culture

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 due to not enough friction with the surface of the gastric mucosa.

better source needed] in 2006, an 18-year-old woman from Chicago, Illinois, had a 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) hairball surgically removed from her stomach;[11] and in 2014, a 9-pound hairball was removed from the stomach of an 18-year-old in Kyrgyzstan.[12] Hairballs can be quite hazardous in humans[13] 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

References

  1. PMID 19984083
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  2. PMID 18318881.[dead link
    ]
  3. ^
    PMID 20213124
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  4. PMID 16227005
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  5. PMID 19505779
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  6. S2CID 20876626
    .
  7. ^ Dehghan, A.; Moaddab, A. H.; Mozafarpour, S. (June 2011). "An unusual localization of trichobezoar in the appendix". Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology. 22 (3): 357–358.
  8. PMID 8885440
    .
  9. ^ "Hairballs: Myths and Realities behind some Medical Curiosities". NMHM.WashingtonDC.museum. Washington, DC: National Museum of Health and Medicine. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009.
  10. ^ "Talk about a Hairball!". Forums.DealOfDay.com. 14 November 2003. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  11. PMID 18032760
    .
  12. ^ Dodds, Laurence (30 September 2014). "Huge 9lb hairball removed from teenage girl's stomach". The Daily Telegraph.
  13. ^ "Girl died from eating her hair". BBC News. 20 August 1999.
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