title: Is Pica under-reported in children with sickle cell disease? A pilot study in a Belgian cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For centuries, writers have recorded their observations on pica. Nevertheless the association of pica with sickle cell disease (SCD) was poorly documented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional evaluation performed on SCD children and caregivers attending the outpatient clinic who were invited to complete questionnaires assessing behavior of pica.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 55 sickle cell children, 31(56.4%) reported practicing pica regularly. Substances ingested by patients covered a broad spectrum. Compared with the non-pica group, subjects who reported pica were younger and had lower hemoglobin (8.3 g/dl (7.6-9.7) vs. 9.1 g/dl (7.9-10.5): P < 0.01). The level of ferritin, zinc, copper, and lead was similar between the pica and non-pica groups (P > 0.05). Discussion In this series, there are many substances consumed by SCD children and adolescents, and we did not find an occurrence of similar substances among this select group. Pica children were younger and more anemic than non-pica patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that pica remains an unknown and under-reported clinical problem in children with SCD and seems to be related to the severity of anemia. The next step of this project aims to clarify causal mechanisms for pica and its association with SCD in a larger population.
authors.forename: Michel Ntetani
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Aloni
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lecerf
authors.forename: Phu-Quoc
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: Lê
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heijmans
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Devalck
authors.forename: Nadira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azzi
authors.forename: Malou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ngalula-Mujinga
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferster
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010842:Pica / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: Children; Pica; Sickle cell disease