Swallowing a large amount of sand can cause bowel obstruction.
The obstruction may affect the small and/or large bowel.
Risk factors:
(1) history of pica
(2) psychiatric disorder
(3) small child
Clinical features:
(1) access to sand
(2) sand ingestion, which may be done over time
(3) bowel obstruction, which may present with bilious vomiting or constipation
(4) radiopaque mass lesion in affected bowel in the absence of contrast material
(5) variable passage of stool made of compacted sand
Differential diagnosis:
(1) other forms of pica
(2) intestinal parasites
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Specialty: Emergency Medicine
