The metallic, rattling sound of swallowed objects inside a patient's abdomen can also signify a pica disorder. Symptoms may also include a pinkish hue to the skin, particularly around the mouth. Pica may also be a symptom of a hookworm infection. If a mineral deficiency is not identified as the cause of pica, it often leads to a misdiagnosis as a mental disorder. Often the substance eaten by those with the disorder does not contain the mineral of deficiency. The association between pica and iron deficiency anemia is so strong, that most patients with iron deficiency will admit to some form of pica. The scant research that has been done on the root causes of pica suggests that the majority of those afflicted tend to suffer some biochemical deficiency and more often iron deficiency. She died during the surgery to remove the items.

A female inmate at the then Lunatic Asylum #2 had swallowed a total of 1,446 items including nails, screws, safety pins, spoon tops, and salt and pepper shaker tops. On display at the Glore Psychiatric Museum in Saint Joseph, Missouri is a very disturbing example of Pica. Another risk of dirt eating is the possible ingestion of animal feces and the accompanying parasites. In addition to poisoning, there is also a much greater risk of gastro-intestinal obstruction or tearing in the stomach. There is a similar risk from eating dirt near roads that existed prior to the phaseout of tetra-ethyl lead in gasoline or prior to the cessation of the use of contaminated oil (either used, or containing toxic PCBs or dioxin) to settle dust. Children eating painted plaster containing lead may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning. Pica in children, while common, can be dangerous.

Pica is seen in all ages, particularly in pregnant women and small children, especially among children who are developmentally disabled, where it is the most common eating disorder. The condition's name comes from the Latin word for the magpie, a bird which is reputed to eat almost anything. In order for these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month, at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. Pica is an appetite for non-nutritive substances (e.g., coal, soil, chalk, paper etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods, such as food ingredients (e.g., flour, raw potato, starch). Stomach contents of an inmate suffering from Pica

Pica syndrome eating ice