‘Rapunzel Syndrome’: 16-year-old girl dies after eating her own hair
A 16-year-old girl has died after she swallowed her own hair, causing an infected hairball to form in her stomach.
An ulcer soon developed and eventually burst, which led to the failure of her vital organs.
Jasmine Beever was taken to hospital shortly after losing consciousness at college, Lincolnshire Live reports.
She got into bed as soon as she got home and shortly came out with blotchy red skin.
The “bubbly” teenager had peritonitis, which is when a thin layer of tissue in the abdomen becomes inflamed.
Though she was successfully resuscitated in hospital for 15 minutes, the young girl died shortly after.
"We are all in shock," the teen’s mother told Lincolnshire Live.
Beever’s best friend is raising money via Just Giving to help the family, who live in Skegness. So far, they have raised £3,417 – 170 per cent more than their original £2,000 target.
“Anyone that knew Jasmine knew what a wonderful, caring girl she was,” the page reads.
“She had a real zest for life. There was never a gloomy face around Jaz because she would go out of her way to make you smile. Even people she didn't know.
“She would always offer a helping hand for anyone that was struggling or offer her shoulder and a hug to anyone that was having a bad day.”
Beever had been chewing and sucking on her hair for years, according to a Facebook post by family friend Donna Marshall.
Trichotillomania, or compulsive hair-eating, is an impulse-control disorder that can be brought on by stress and leads people to pull out their own hair, explains the NHS.
This seemingly innocent habit can cause hairballs to form in the gastrointestinal tract which causes a wider blockage in the digestive system, commonly referred to as “Rapunzel Syndrrome.”
