Example of the sounds and motions a common housecat makes when it is coughing up a hairball.A 10 cm (3.9 in) cat hairball
A hairball is a small collection of
hair or
fur formed in the
stomach of
animals, and uncommonly in
humans, that is occasionally
vomited up when it becomes too big. Hairballs are primarily a tight elongated cylinder of packed fur, but may include bits of other elements such as swallowed food. Animals with hairballs are sometimes mistaken as having other conditions of the stomach such as
lymphosarcoma,
tuberculosis, and tumor of the spleen.[1]Cats are especially prone to hairball formation since they
groom themselves by
licking their fur, and thereby ingest it.
Rabbits are also prone to hairballs because they groom themselves in the same fashion as cats, but hairballs are especially dangerous for rabbits because they cannot regurgitate them. Due to the fragility of their
digestive systems, hairballs in rabbits must be treated immediately or they may stop feeding and ultimately die from
dehydration.
Cattle are also known to accumulate hairballs but, as they do not vomit, these are found usually after death and can be quite large.
A 5 cm (2.0 in) cat hairball
Clinical significance
A trichobezoar is a
bezoar (a mass found trapped in the
gastrointestinal system) formed from the ingestion of hair. Trichobezoars are often associated with
trichotillomania (compulsive
hair pulling).[2] Trichobezoars are rare, but can be fatal if undetected.[3][4][5][6] Surgical intervention is often required.[3][7]
Society and culture
Although uncommon in humans, some hairballs have been reported. These hairballs occur when hair strands collect in the stomach and are unable to be ejected due to not enough friction with the surface of the gastric mucosa.[8] Hairballs are often seen in young girls as a result of
trichophagia,
trichotillomania, and
pica.[9] In 2003, a 3-year-old girl in
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, had a grapefruit-sized hairball surgically removed from her stomach;[10][better source needed] in 2006, an 18-year-old woman from
Chicago, Illinois, had a 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) hairball surgically removed from her stomach;[11] and in 2014, a 9-pound hairball was removed from the stomach of an 18-year-old in
Kyrgyzstan.[12] Hairballs can be quite hazardous in humans[13] since hair cannot be digested or passed by the human gastrointestinal system, and (assuming it is identified) even
vomiting may be ineffective at removing the hair mass. This can result in the general impairment of the digestive system.
^Ventura, D. E.; Herbella, F. A.; Schettini, S. T.; Delmonte, C. (2005). "Rapunzel syndrome with a fatal outcome in a neglected child". Jopurnal Pediatric Surgery. 40 (10): 1665–1667.
doi:
10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2005.06.038.
PMID16227005.
^Matejů, E.; Duchanová, S.; Kovac, P.; Moravanský, N.; Spitz, D. J. (September 2009). "Fatal case of Rapunzel syndrome in neglected child". Forensic Science International. 190 (1–3): e5–7.
doi:
10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.05.008.
PMID19505779.
^Pul, N.; Pul, M. (1996). "The Rapunzel syndrome (trichobezoar) causing gastric perforation in a child: a case report". European Journal of Pediatrics. 155 (1): 18–9.
doi:
10.1007/bf02115620.
PMID8750804.
S2CID20876626.
^Dehghan, A.; Moaddab, A. H.; Mozafarpour, S. (June 2011). "An unusual localization of trichobezoar in the appendix". Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology. 22 (3): 357–358.
doi:
10.4318/tjg.2011.0232.
^Santiago Sanchez, C. A.; Garau Diaz, P.; Lugo Vicente, H. L. (January–March 1995). "Trichobezoar in a 11-year old girl: A case report". Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico. 88 (1–3): 8–11.
PMID8885440.