Coprophagia (eating of feces) can occur in a number of conditions.
Conditions associated with coprophagia:
(1) intellectual disability (mental retardation)
(2) fetish (coprophilia)
(3) depression
(4) obsessive-compulsive disorder
(5) psychosis (schizophrenia, etc)
(6) dementia, often with medial temporal lobe atrophy (Josephs et al)
(7) chronic alcohol abuse
Complications:
(1) aspiration pneumonia
(2) airway obstruction
(3) parasitic infections
(4) bad breath
Management depends on the cause. Haloperidol has been effective in patients with dementia. An antidepressant may be effective in depression.
