The Silent Killer Called Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is a life-threatening eating disorder that tends to occur during the pre- and post-puberty. Although it usually affects women, there have also been cases of adolescent boys and young adults suffering from anorexia nervosa.

The defining symptom of Anorexia Nervosa is the refusal to maintain the minimum normal body weight. This stems from a person’s belief that she is too fat. There is no exact reason for this way of thinking but researches have shown that this could have stemmed from various environmental factors.

Anorexia Nervosa is further categorized into two types – the restricting type and the purging type. People who belong to the restricting type would usually go to great lengths to keep themselves from getting fat. This would include drastic diets as well as excessive fasting and exercises. The purging type, on the other hand, would usually indulge in laxatives and diuretics. They would also allow themselves to vomit.

Since the body is unable to receive the vitamins and nutrients it needs, Anorexic people tends to have higher risks of organ damage, bone loss, heart problems, and, in worst cases, death.