BurfordTJustice
2017-09-14 19:50:12 UTC
UK Teen with 'Rapunzel syndrome' dies from eating her own hair
A 16-year-old student in the U.K. died suddenly while away at college due to
an infection caused by a hairball in her stomach. Jasmine Beever, of
Skegness, was taken to the hospital via ambulance on September 7, where
staff attempted life-saving resuscitation, LicolnshireLive.com reported.
An autopsy later revealed that Beever had suffering from peritonitis, which
occurs when the thin membrane that covers the abdominal wall is inflamed,
which is typically due to a fungal or bacterial infection. Beever's case was
caused by the infected hairball in her stomach, and eventually led to a
burst ulcer that caused her organs to shut down.
Patients who swallow their own hair are often diagnosed with Rapunzel
syndrome, which is caused by a psychiatric disorder called trichophagia,
according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of
Health.
"Jasmine was amazing," Donna Marshall, a friend's mother, told
LicolnshireLive.com. "She was one of those kids where she would make a sad
face in the room smile. She was so bubbly."
Marshall called the teen's death a shock. Marshall's daughter, a longtime
friend of the teen, set up a Just Giving page for donations to help the
family cover medical expenses.
"We are extremely upset but we want to thank everybody for all they have
done for the family," Beever's parents said, according to
LicolnshireLive.com.
A 16-year-old student in the U.K. died suddenly while away at college due to
an infection caused by a hairball in her stomach. Jasmine Beever, of
Skegness, was taken to the hospital via ambulance on September 7, where
staff attempted life-saving resuscitation, LicolnshireLive.com reported.
An autopsy later revealed that Beever had suffering from peritonitis, which
occurs when the thin membrane that covers the abdominal wall is inflamed,
which is typically due to a fungal or bacterial infection. Beever's case was
caused by the infected hairball in her stomach, and eventually led to a
burst ulcer that caused her organs to shut down.
Patients who swallow their own hair are often diagnosed with Rapunzel
syndrome, which is caused by a psychiatric disorder called trichophagia,
according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of
Health.
"Jasmine was amazing," Donna Marshall, a friend's mother, told
LicolnshireLive.com. "She was one of those kids where she would make a sad
face in the room smile. She was so bubbly."
Marshall called the teen's death a shock. Marshall's daughter, a longtime
friend of the teen, set up a Just Giving page for donations to help the
family cover medical expenses.
"We are extremely upset but we want to thank everybody for all they have
done for the family," Beever's parents said, according to
LicolnshireLive.com.