- Toddler Sivam Kumar had been eating his own hair for nine months
- He was unable to eat and at first doctors thought it was a stomach infection
- More thorough examination revealed the giant hairball stuck in his stomach
- Surgeons quickly operated to remove hair, which can be fatal if undetected
- Boy's parents now shave his head to prevent a repeat of the bizarre illness
A four-year-old boy has had a 4ft hairball removed from his stomach by surgeons in India after eating so much of his own hair he could only swallow water.
Sivam Kumar had been swallowing his hair for nine months, would often vomit and was unable to eat normally which eventually led to malnutrition and dehydration.
When he first went to hospital doctors claimed he had a stomach infection and sent him away with medication but the toddler's stomach then became so bloated that it was protruding abnormally.
His father, Sunil Kumar, 36, said: 'He used to cry all the time but he couldn't explain to us what was wrong. We took him to many doctors but they found nothing.
'When a CT scan eventually revealed a big hairball I was shocked. I just couldn't believe it.'
After realising the cause of his discomfort couldn't possibly be a stomach infection, doctors examined him more thoroughly.
After an hour-long surgery on February 4, doctors retrieved a gigantic 4ft hairball that filled his stomach as well as his small and large intestines.
Dr Shilpa Sharma said: 'He was very weak and malnourished and his stomach was severely bloated when we first saw him.
'We immediately took a CT scan and that's when we found a big entangled mass in his abdomen.
'There was very little gas in the abdomen area. The hair had spread in the stomach and travelled into his intestines. When we opened his stomach a 4ft hairball came out in the exact shape of the stomach.'
Mother Munni, who has two other boys, aged six and eight, said: 'I'd seen him plucking his hair and eating it but I just assumed it would come out in his stool. I didn't know he was eating it so regularly and over a nine-month period.
'When I saw the CT scan reports I was devastated. I was sure he wouldn't survive. I am thankful to God that my son has survived this and is now absolutely fine.'
The parents are now keeping an eye on the toddler's every move.
'I am not leaving Sivam alone for even one minute now,' Munni added. 'We have to make sure he doesn't do this again.'
Sunil, who works as a carpenter earning 7,000Rupees a month, and Munni have decided that their safest bet is to shave Sivam's hair.
Protective measures: Sivam's father Sunil and mother Munni (pictured) have decided to shave the toddler's head for the foreseeable future. Also pictured are Sivam, his brother Manish (right) and Vivek (left)
The lodged hairball caused the toddler to vomit and meant he couldn't eat properly - which led to malnutrition and dehydration. Above, Sivam pictured with Munni outside their home in Kailashpur, New Delhi
Munni added: 'We've shaved off his hair now so that he's not tempted to eat it. And doctors have also told us to keep him bald until he's at least ten years old so there'll be no risk of this happening again.'
Dr Shilpa said: 'The boy is the fourth case in the world where a child so young has been affected with the syndrome.
'It is a psychological disorder and we are now trying to look at the causes and preventions so he doesn't start eating hair again. We have advised the parents to shave off his head for now.'
Sivam suffered from Rapunzel Syndrome, and the hairball, Trichobezoar, is usually only found in teenage girls.
Trichotillomania is term used for the psychological condition in which a person has an urge to pull hair.
One per cent of the world's population is affected by this condition and out of that one percent the Rapunzel syndrome is developed, more so in teenage girls.
Trichobezoar is the extreme collection of hair – a hairball - found in the stomach of humans and animals.
credit: dailymail.co.uk
