Gum in belly of 5 year old boy
Chewing gum can be a good outlet for nervous energy, a distraction from food cravings, and it can help exercise muscles in the jawline.
All of these benefits work out for teenagers and adults.
As for children, chewing gum can lead to several sticky situations if left unchecked by grown-ups.
This case from the US involving a 5-year-old boy should serve as a caution about gums for parents.
The kid from Ohio had to undergo an emergency medical procedure after swallowing almost 40 pieces of gum, resulting in an obstructed gastrointestinal tract.
The unidentified child was taken to the emergency room with severe cramps and diarrhea as the gums had formed a clump after getting stuck in his stomach, according to a case study published this week in JEM Reports.
The doctors, led by Dr. Chizite Iheonunekwu of the Cleveland Clinic, had to pull the clump of gum back out through the 5-year-old’s throat. Fortunately, he suffered no long-term effects, but doctors said he was lucky the gum had not gone on to block his intestine, which could’ve turned fatal.
The physicians placed an esophagoscope down the boy’s throat before using forceps to grasp the lump.
An endoscopic image of the lump of gum lodged in the boy’s stomach was shared online. It has now gone viral .
Over the year, several experts have debunked the notion that swallowed gum stays in the body for only seven days.
“If you’ve swallowed a piece of gum, it’ll come out about 40 hours later in your stool. Because it can’t be digested, it comes right out whole,” registered dietitian Beth Czerwony told Cleveland Clinic in 2022.
“If you do this every day, or multiple times a day, it can cause an intestinal blockage. Anything you eat after that isn’t going to be able to get through, which causes a backup that leads to pain and pressure,” Czerwony added.
