Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Alex Cope, Agency: Asia Wire Report

A nine-year-old girl has had this 500-gram clump of her own hair removed from her stomach during emergency surgery after her ‘Rapunzel syndrome’ caused acute pancreatitis.

According to local media, the young girl, identified as Youyou, was rolling on the floor in agony at home and her concerned parents rushed her to the Zhongshan Hospital, affiliated with Xiamen University, in the city of Xiamen in the south-eastern Chinese province of Fujian.

Youyou, who reportedly suffers from ‘Rapunzel syndrome’, a rare intestinal condition caused by ingesting hair (trichophagia), was checked by Doctor Ye Zhenshi, head of gastroenterology.

The doctor diagnosed the nine-year-old patient with acute pancreatitis, considered very rare among children. The condition is more associated with adults who eat and drink too much or have gallstones.

According to local media, Doctor Zhenshi removed 500 grammes (1.1 lbs) of the patient’s black hair from her stomach during a five-hour operation.

The young girl has since made a full recovery and has returned home.

Her parents told local media: “She has had this bad habit (pulling and ingesting her hair) since she was three years old.

“We overlooked the dangers, so sorry about that.”

Doctor Zhenshi said: “There is nothing unusual about Youyou, although she is not very outgoing.

“I suggest that her parents should play more with their child. To some extent, this is a psychological condition.”

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