Anorexia (means without appetite) nervosa, also called anorexia, is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
Extreme weight loss in people with anorexia nervosa can lead to dangerous health problems and even death.
The disorder is diagnosed when a person weighs at least 15% less than his or her normal/ideal body weight.
Who Gets Anorexia?
Eating disorders like anorexia are more common in females than in males. The risk of developing an eating disorder is greater in actors, models, dancers, and athletes in sports where appearance and/or weight are important, such as wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and figure skating.
What Causes Anorexia?
The exact cause of anorexia is not known, but research suggests that a combination of certain personality traits, emotions, and thinking patterns, as well as biological and environmental factors might be responsible.
Symptoms
Physical symptoms
• Extreme weight loss
• Thin appearance
• Abnormal blood counts
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dizziness or fainting
• Bluish discoloration of the fingers
• Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
• Soft, downy hair covering the body
• Absence of menstruation
• Constipation and abdominal pain
• Dry or yellowish skin
• Intolerance of cold
• Irregular heart rhythms
• Low blood pressure
• Dehydration
• Swelling of arms or legs
• Eroded teeth
Some people who have anorexia binge and purge, similar to individuals who have bulimia. But people with anorexia generally struggle with an abnormally low body weight, while individuals with bulimia typically are normal to above normal weight.
Emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms may include:
• Preoccupation with food, which sometimes includes cooking elaborate meals for others but not eating them
• Frequently skipping meals or refusing to eat
• Denial of hunger or making excuses for not eating
• Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories
• Not wanting to eat in public
• Lying about how much food has been eaten
• Fear of gaining weight that may include repeated weighing or measuring the body
• Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
• Complaining about being fat or having parts of the body that are fat
• Covering up in layers of clothing
• Flat mood (lack of emotion)
Complications
Anorexia can have numerous complications. At its most severe, it can be fatal. Death may occur suddenly - even when someone is not severely underweight. This may result from abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) or an imbalance of electrolytes - minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium that maintain the balance of fluids in your body
If a person with anorexia becomes severely malnourished, every organ in the body can be damaged, including the brain, heart and kidneys. This damage may not be fully reversible, even when the anorexia is under control.
Prevention and Treatment
There's no guaranteed way to prevent anorexia nervosa. Same as of Bulimia nervosa
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3 окт 2024
