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Anorexia Facts

Anorexia Facts
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by attempts to lose weight that can result in eventual starvation and even death if not treated. Those affected often have a fear of gaining weight because of their strong desire to be thin. They self-impose food restrictions that result in low weight, and some people exercise excessively. The cause is not known, however some believe there could be a genetic factor, cultural factors, and even activities such as ballet, modeling, and dancing, that contribute to the development of anorexia. One of the earliest documented cases of anorexia occurred in 1866, and today it is estimated that roughly two million people have the disease worldwide.
Interesting Anorexia Facts:
A body mass index that it too low for a person's height and age may indicate the presence of anorexia or another eating disorder such as bulimia, although bulimic individuals often are a normal weight or overweight.
Anorexia often results in a loss of menses (in women), called amenorrhea.
An individual with anorexia may become obsessed with counting calories and reducing fat in the diet to very low levels.
Despite the self-imposed food restrictions, those with anorexia will sometimes become obsessed with food and recipes and cooking. They just don't eat much of what they prepare.
Those with anorexia often believe they are fat or overweight even when they are much too thin.
Those with anorexia often experience hair thinning, halitosis (if binging and purging), depression, anxiety, insomnia, dry skin, dry hair, mood swings, and even abdominal distension if they reach starvation.
Some studies have shown that prenatal complications may have some role in the development of anorexia in the child as they grow. Such complications include maternal anemia, diabetes, placental infarction, and preeclampsia.
Some believe that anorexia nervosa may be the result of childhood sexual abuse.
Psychological factors that may lead to anorexia nervosa include having low self-esteem, feeling out-of-control of one's life, loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
Women are not the only ones to develop anorexia nervosa, as it also appears in the male population.
Wrestlers and jockeys are more prone to developing anorexia nervosa because of the importance of weight in their professions.
The two types of anorexia include the binging/purging type, and the restriction type.
The binging/purging type of anorexia differs from bulimia in that it is a means to lose weight, while those with bulimia are sometimes overweight.
BMI can be used as an indicator of severity of anorexia. BMI of more than 17 indicates mild anorexia. 16-16.99 indicates moderate; 15-15.99 indicates severe; and less than 15 indicates extreme.
Tests that may be performed to diagnose anorexia include a complete blood count, urinalysis, glucose tolerance test, liver function tests, electrocardiogram, and several others.
Complications of anorexia include growth retardation, loss of ovulation, osteoporosis, seizures, tremors, malnutrition, sudden cardiac death, cardiac complications, and death.
Treatment of anorexia nervosa includes therapy, medication, nutrition therapy, and hospital admission in some cases.
It is estimated that as many as 4.3% of women, and 0.3% of men in Western countries experience anorexia.


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