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Eating Disorders Effects
Possible Eating Disorders Effects are listed below. All should be taken very seriously. Click on each complication for more information.
- Amenorrhea
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Not having periods when you used to have periods is known as secondary amenorrhea. When it lasts six months or longer, it is also known as Hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA)...
- Anemia
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An estimated one-third of anorexic patients have mild anemia (low red blood cell count). Anemia makes the oxygen transporting units within the blood useless and can lead to fatigue...
- Arrhythmia
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As the body is starved, the muscles are starved. The heart is a muscle, and consequently can begin to deteriorate, and heart failure becomes a very real risk...
- Atrophy
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Atrophy is a wasting away of muscle and decrease in muscle mass due to the body feeding off of itself. Muscle atrophy results when the muscles waste away because there are a lack of adequate nutrients...
- Low White Blood Cell Count
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Eating disorders can affect a patient’s blood. Leukopenia (low white blood cell count) occurs in up to 50 percent of anorexic patients...
- Cardiovascular Risk
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Heart disease is the most common medical cause of death in people with severe anorexia. In long-term, severe anorexia, heart disease is very likely to occur...
- Cathartic Colon
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A possible complication of bulimia is cathartic colon. In fact, severe constipation or a cathartic colon is one of the clues physicians may have in diagnosing bulimia...
- Digestion Health
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Eating disorders affect digestion health in a number of ways. A deficiency in digestive enzymes will lead to the bodies inability to properly digest food...
- Head Dizziness
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A common side effect of eating disorders is head dizziness. Head dizziness can be described as faintness or lightheadedness...
- Edema
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One of the side effects of eating disorders can be edema. Swelling of the soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation in the spaces between the cells...
- Electrolyte imbalance
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Electrolyte are essential to the production of the body's "natural electricity" that ensures healthy teeth, joints and bones, nerve and muscle impulses...
- Emaciation
Anorexia nervosa is a psychological eating disorder marked by profound food aversion and fear of becoming overweight that leads to emaciation, or becoming very thin, and frail...
- Esophagitis
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Esophagitis is an inflammation of the lining of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach...
- Estrogen Levels
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Low body weight in females causes the body to stop producing estrogen, resulting in a condition known as amenorrhea, or absent menstrual periods...
- Tooth Enamel Erosion
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The presence of gastric acid in your mouth from regular vomiting may cause damage to your teeth and gums, most commonly teeth enamel erosion...
- Forgetfulness
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Besides having impaired memory, people struggling with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia are more likely to have other mental and emotional issues...
- Glandular Problems
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People with eating disorders frequently have glandular problems. A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones...
- Heart Attack
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Eating disorders commonly raise the risk for having a heart attack. Anorexia and bulimia both create huge imbalances in the electrolytic balance...
- Hypoglycemia
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In people with eating disorders, hypoglycemia is common. Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar...
- Hypometabolic State
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Anorexia nervosa often results in a starvation induced hypometabolic state where the body shifts to conserve resources...
- Hypothermia
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Hypothermia results when the fat cells, which are the body's natural insulation, become non-existent and the victim starts feeling cold all the time...
- Impulse Control Disorder
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People who have eating disorders may also have an impulse control disorder. An Impulse Control Disorder is defined by many psychologists as the failure...
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in bowel pattern...
- Judgment
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Eating disorders can frequently impact one’s judgment. Electrolyte imbalances can cause the neurotransmitters of the brain to be altered...
- Musculoskeletal Problems
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Musculoskeletal problems are very common in individuals with an eating disorder. As a general rule, individuals with severe anorexia nervosa have poor muscle strength...
- Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture. About half of young female patients with anorexia nervosa have osteoporosis...
- Osteomalacia
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Bones need calcium and phosphorus to remain healthy and strong, but the body also needs vitamin D to be able to absorb these two minerals...
- Parotid Gland Enlargement
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The salivary glands make saliva and release it into the mouth. There are three pairs of relatively large, major salivary glands, including the parotid glands...
- Pituitary Gland Problems
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Eating disorders can negatively impact all systems of the body. Pituitary Gland problems are frequently associated with eating disorders...
- Low Potassium
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Potassium is an electrolyte that is critical to the function of nerve and muscles cells, including those in your heart. Low potassium (hypokalemia) has many causes. ..
- Renal Problems
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Renal problems, or kidney damage, is a potentially serious, even life-threatening concern for people with eating disorders...
- Salivary Glands
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In people with bulimia, repeated vomiting may sometimes causes the salivary glands to swell...
- Seizures
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The increased risk of seizures in people with anorexia and bulimia may be caused by dehydration...
- Thyroid Problems
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Thyroid problems are common in people with eating disorders – especially in those with anorexia nervosa...
- Vision Imparement
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Occasionally, night vision will be impaired, because of poor nutrition and decreased amounts of vitamin A in the body...
- Vitamin Deficiencies
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Vitamins are a group of organic substances occurring naturally in animals and plants in small quantities an which are essential to the normal growth and functioning of the body...
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Did You Know?
Bulimia nervosa may accompany anorexia, or it may occur by itself. It is estimated to occur in 1.1 to 4.2% of females. Bulimia nervosa can lead to severe tooth decay, intestinal and kidney problems, muscle cramps, heart problems, ruptured stomach or esophagus, and death.
More Statistics...
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