Chapter 2: The Unexpected Possibility—What Can Accumulate Inside the Stomach?
When people think about stomach problems, they usually imagine inflammation, excess acid, an infection, or something they ate.
Few consider the possibility that a solid mass of accumulated material might be occupying space inside the stomach itself.
Yet such masses exist.
Doctors refer to them as bezoars, a medical term describing compact collections of material that remain within the digestive system instead of passing through normally.
According to the Merck Manual, bezoars most commonly form in the stomach and may contain substances that are partially digested or cannot be digested effectively.
Some consist of plant fibers. Others develop from medications or different types of swallowed material.
One particularly unusual type is made of hair.
It is known as a trichobezoar.
Merck Manual Professional Edition
What exactly is a trichobezoar?
A trichobezoar is a tightly packed collection of hair that accumulates within the stomach.
Human hair contains keratin, a strong structural protein that the digestive system cannot efficiently break down.
When someone swallows small amounts of hair, the material may sometimes pass through the gastrointestinal tract without causing an obvious problem.
However, repeated ingestion can allow strands to become tangled and trapped inside the stomach.
Over time, additional strands may attach to the existing material.
Food particles and mucus can become mixed into the growing mass, producing a dense collection that may occupy an increasingly large portion of the stomach.
Unlike ordinary food, which is processed and moved onward through the intestines, accumulated hair can resist digestion and remain in place.
The resulting mass may gradually interfere with the stomach’s ability to function normally.
For some patients, this process develops without immediately producing dramatic symptoms.
In others, nausea, abdominal discomfort, a reduced appetite, or a feeling of fullness may appear.
The mass can also contribute to complications if it becomes large enough to obstruct the normal movement of food.
The Cleveland Clinic identifies abdominal pain and constipation among possible symptoms associated with trichobezoars and explains that large accumulations may interfere with digestion.
Cleveland Clinic
