Commonly Asked Questions: Anorexia Nervosa (page 4)

What is It?

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that has been gaining a lot of attention in the last 10 to 15 years. People with Anorexia use extreme measures to lose weight. They often become dangerously thin and suffer significant health problems as a result.

Sometimes people confuse Anorexia Nervosa with Bulimia Nervosa. Unlike people with Anorexia, people with Bulimia stay at an average or above average weight for their height. While people with Anorexia may binge eat from time to time, they tend to exercise, diet, or eliminate food from their system so frequently that their body weight becomes dangerously low.

Who Has It?

Approximately 90 percent of the people diagnosed with Anorexia are female. It is a condition that is seen primarily in North America and Europe. It is rarely diagnosed in children before puberty or adults over age 40. In fact, Anorexia is most commonly diagnosed in females ages 13 to 21.

What are the Symptoms?

If you are wondering whether someone you know may have Anorexia, here are some critical characteristics to look for.

Body Weight Below Minimum Expectations for a Person's Age and Height

Health practitioners use the general rule of thumb of 85 percent of the expected weight for a person's height and age as a minimum weight standard. These figures are usually taken from publications such as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Height and Weight Tables or pediatric growth charts.

People with Anorexia typically go to extreme measures in order to lose weight. One sub-group, called the Restricting Type, attempts to lose weight through extreme dieting. When they eat, it is typically only very low calorie foods. They may also stop eating entirely for extended periods of time or exercise several times a day in order to burn off calories.

Another sub-group, the Binge-Eating /Purging Type, may also attempt to lose weight through diet or exercise regimens. However, these people also occasionally eat excessive amounts of high-calorie foods and may attempt to purge any food they have eaten. Purging means to try to eliminate any recently eaten food from the body. Purging includes such activities as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, enemas, and diuretics (medications that make one urinate).

While the person with this subtype of Anorexia may eat in binges more than once a week, they continue to succeed in their attempts to lose weight to the point that they become dangerously thin.

Intense Fear of Gaining Weight or Becoming Fat

While many of us are concerned, or even fearful, about becoming overweight, individuals with Anorexia seem to be consumed by this fear. In addition, their success in losing weight often makes them more fearful of gaining it back in the future.

Distorted Views of Body Weight and Shape

Some people believe that many thin people are just trying to attract attention or compliments when they complain about being "too fat." This kind of thinking is dangerous when it comes to dealing with Anorexia.

Regardless of how thin they are, people with Anorexia are sincere when they say that they believe they are too fat. They might admit that they are thin in most places but are troubled by a "flabby tummy" or "sagging thighs." They focus on these "imperfections" and ignore the thinner parts of their body.

Along with their fear of becoming fat, people with Anorexia are often obsessive about checking their weight or body shape. They may weigh themselves, look at themselves in a mirror while unclothed, or measure parts of their body several times a day.

Failure to Menstruate

Because people with Anorexia eat so little, and in a very real sense can be starving themselves, they often have a host of related health problems.

One of the most common problems is the failure to menstruate (have a period). Women diagnosed with Anorexia have typically missed at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. For girls who are approaching puberty, Anorexia typically causes menarche (first period) to be delayed by months, years, or until they gain weight.

These menstrual problems are typically caused by very low levels of the hormone estrogen in the blood due to malnutrition and low body weight.

Are There Other Effects on Health?

Yes, the malnourishment and purging associated with Anorexia often cause other significant health problems.

People with Anorexia are often diagnosed with anemia, cardiovascular (heart and blood circulation) problems such as hypotension (low blood pressure) and irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), tooth decay from repeated vomiting, poor kidney functioning, and osteoporosis (a decrease in the size and strength of bone).

Perhaps most importantly, approximately 10 percent of all people diagnosed with Anorexia die because of starvation, suicide, or electrolyte imbalances due to malnutrition.