Anorexia is defined as a prolonged disorder of eating due to loss of appetite. It is an eating disorder identified by an "obsession" for thinness, generally sought through self-starvation and is found in all social groups and almost all cultural groups. The average age of onset of anorexia nervosa is 17 years and it is characterized by increased adiponectin plasma levels and reduced nonoxidative glucose metabolism.
Anorexia nervosa is when a person has an excessive obsession for losing weight, they have a wrong self image, so even when they are skinny they want to keep losing weight. However, you must be aware that anorexia more than a physical health problem is an emotional disorder.
Anorexia and bulimia are the two most common eating disorders. They tend to appear most commonly in women. In fact, 90 percent of all cases are in women. Most eating disorders begin in the teenage years: anorexia most often occurs around puberty, and bulimia hits a bit later. People with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa share the same fear, guilt, and shame about food and fat. Still, they are two separate disorders with different symptoms. People with anorexia starve and exercise themselves thin. People with bulimia eat unhealthy amounts of food and then vomit or purge themselves. People with anorexia or bulimia tend to start at normal weights, but then suffer from poor nutrition as well as the mental and emotional effects of having an eating disorder. Some people with eating disorders may have a combination of anorexia and bulimia.
Anorexia can be the result of a medical condition. This eating disorder may also be the side effect of a medication. Kidney failure, diabetes, and liver disease could result. Fortunately, once the illness is treated, the anorexia symptoms will be eliminated too.
People with bulimia were more likely than those with anorexia. The anorexia overestimates its size: abdominal and pelvic area. The bulimia is generally practiced in secret. The symptoms may be the following: evidence of discarded packaging for laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that induce vomiting) or diuretics (medications that reduce fluids), eating large amounts of food or buying large quantities that disappear right away, compulsive exercising, broken blood vessels in the eyes, swollen salivary glands, dry mouth; teeth develop cavities, diseased gums and irreversible erosion from excessive acid.nnSome of the common symptoms of anorexia are:nn• Dramatic weight loss. nn• Excessive consciousness about figure and body image. nn• Regular skipping of meals. nn• Mostly eat selective foods, which are low in fat and calories.
A person with anorexia also tends to stay away from gathering situations where a lot of food will be available. The sufferer also tends to avoid eating in front of people.
Those are some of the most common symptoms of anorexia, if you know of a family member with those symptoms, she needs help and support from the family, try to gain her trust and don't accuse her, because she will feel attacked and will not accept any kind of help.n