geophagia


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Related to geophagia: pica

geophagia

 [je″o-fa´jah]
the habit of eating clay or earth, a form of pica.

ge·o·pha·gi·a

, geophagismgeophagy (jē'ō-fā'jē-ă, jē-of'ă-jizm, -of'ă-jē),
The practice of eating dirt or clay.
Synonym(s): dirt-eating
[geo- + G. phagō, to eat]

geophagia

/geo·pha·gia/ (-fa´jah) the habitual eating of earth or clay, a form of pica.

geophagia

the practice of eating clay or dirt. A form of pica, the compulsion is thought by some to be associated with disorders of mineral balance. Some patients with pica have been found to suffer from an iron deficiency and respond to iron therapy. Red clay may be so rich in potassium that its ingestion can lead to hyperkalemia in individuals with renal failure.
The consumption of dirt—e.g., mud or clay—a former practice in many cultures, regionally extant in the southern US

ge·o·pha·gi·a

, geophagism , geophagy (jē'ŏ-fā'jē-ă, jē-of'ă-jizm, -of'ă-jē)
The practice of eating dirt or clay.
Synonym(s): dirt-eating.
[geo- + G. phagō, to eat]

Geophagia

The compulsive eating of earthy substances, including sand, soil, and clay.
Mentioned in: Pica

geophagia (gē·ō·fāˑ·zhē·),

n compulsive drive to eat dirt or clay. A type of pica, believed to be related to a mineral deficiency or imbalance.

ge·o·pha·gi·a

, geophagism , geophagy (jē'ŏ-fā'jē-ă, jē-of'ă-jizm, -of'ă-jē)
Eating dirt or clay.
[geo- + G. phagō, to eat]

geophagia, geophagism

the habit of eating clay or earth (soil); chthonophagia.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
The most common form of pica globally is geophagia which is the ingestion of lithospheric substances, notably clay soil [4-8].
In West Africa, particularly Ghana and Togo, geophagia involves ingestion of a creamy-white loamy clay soil locally known as ayelo in Accra, Ghana.
General pica and geophagia prevalence of 48% and 28%, respectively, have been reported in Ghana among women of reproductive age [1,10].
Several motivating factors for geophagia have been reported.
Whereas other researchers have speculated that geophagia during pregnancy may induce iron deficiency anaemia, others have indicated that geophagia may, in fact, be an adaptation to iron deficiency [1,3,18,21].
Geophagia clay soil as a source of mineral nutrients and toxicants
Table 5 shows the results of multivariate modelling to examine the relationships between factors related to geophagia practices and metal concentrations.
The prevalence of geophagia in the current study is not as widespread as observed in earlier studies in other African countries (where levels around 64-74% have been reported) [5,6] or elsewhere in SA.
Despite no significant association between geophagia and blood lead concentrations being observed in the multivariate model, it is suggested that caution and further investigation is warranted, especially in the light of such associations being observed elsewhere.
The association between geophagia and depressed haemoglobin levels was confirmed in this study.
Screening for pica or geophagia does not currently constitute part of the standard antenatal assessment programme in SA.
Geophagia does not currently form part of the standard prenatal screening package in SA, but its inclusion potentially constitutes a powerful mechanism for antenatal education and the identification of a range of detrimental health outcomes.
Prevalence of geophagia and its possible implications to health--a study in rural South Africa.
A cross-sectional analytical study of geophagia practices and blood metal concentrations in pregnant women in Johannesburg, South Africa

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