Disease makes 4-year-old girl devour her own home

The story of little girl Jessica Knight, just four years old, has caught the attention of the world after being reported by various newspapers. Carrier of a rare condition, Jessica eats furniture and objects such as the carpets of her home in Cambridgeshire, England. In addition, she also likes sand and cement.

This bizarre preference for inedible items is the result of a syndrome known as allotriophagy, which makes her want to eat junk food. Usually the syndrome affects pregnant women who feel the need to eat dirt, brick and other inedible things.

Different food routine

“I was really shocked when I realized how much she was eating. If you lift the carpet from her bedroom now, you can see that there is no more shim, ”Jessica's mother Kelly Will said in a statement published in the Daily Mail. According to her, the family tries to control the girl's unusual appetite, but the little girl always ends up finding new things to eat.

Kelly says the problem was noticed by the family when Jessica was just two years old and started eating the foam padding of her child seat. At school, Jessica has been seen eating sand several times.

The little girl's unusual appetite has gone so far that, in order not to destroy the furniture and other school items, Jessica's parents send a little bag of non-toxic sponges so that the girl has something to eat, afraid that if not send nothing, it eats other objects that may be toxic.

Treatment

Concerned, Jessica's parents have already referred her to several medical specialists, but there is no treatment for the syndrome, at least not until the girl is six years old. Over time, she will mature to know that she needs to eat food rather than objects, and possibly will collaborate with treatments.

Her parents have managed to get her to eat some food, and Jessica's favorites include sausages, cheese, rice pudding, bread and fish. Still, she often chooses to eat her unusual snacks, which end up causing stomach cramps and constipation, of course.

Although only a child, Jessica already knows that their eating habits are different and even shows concern about it, and the opinion of people about their peculiar taste. What's more, when she eats her unusual snacks, she makes sure to take her younger sister close so she doesn't want to do the same.

Jessica is currently undergoing learning tests, as more than 25% of people with difficulties in this area are carriers of allotriophagy, which can be fatal, including risk of vomiting, airway blockage, drowning and poisoning.

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Have you ever heard of this syndrome? Here at Mega Curioso we already tell stories of people eating unusual items, such as the man who ate a plane, the woman who can't stop eating stone, and even the sponge addict. If you have or know someone with such an unusual taste, be sure to seek medical and psychological help. It is always possible to control the situation.