What are the risks and symptoms of anorexia?

Answer 1

If you are struggling with anorexia, get help (link below to find treatment and get more info.)

Symptoms:
* Person refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height.
* Weighs 85% or less than what is developmentally expected for age and height.
* Young girls do not begin to menstruate at the appropriate age. Puberty is delayed in both sexes.
* In women, menstrual periods stop. In men, levels of sex hormones fall. Sex drive disappears or is much diminished.
* Person denies the dangers of low weight.
* Is terrified of becoming fat.
* Is terrified of gaining weight even though s/he is alarmingly underweight.
* Reports feeling fat even when emaciated.
* In addition, anorexia nervosa often includes depression, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into "good/safe" and "bad/dangerous" categories. Person may have low tolerance for change and new situations; may fear growing up and assuming adult responsibilities and an adult lifestyle. May be overly engaged with or dependent on parents or family. Dieting may represent avoidance of, or attempts to cope with, the demands of a new life stage such as adolescence.

Risks:
* Irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, death
* Kidney damage, renal failure, death
* Liver damage (made worse by substance abuse), death
* Loss of muscle mass. Broomstick arms and legs.
* Permanent loss of bone mass; fractures and lifelong problems caused by fragile bones and joints. Osteopenia, osteoporosis, and dowager's hump
* Destruction of teeth, rupture of esophagus, damage to lining of stomach; gastritis, gastric distress including bloat and distension
* Disruption of menstrual cycle, infertility
* Delayed growth and permanently stunted growth due to undernutrition. Even after recovery and weight restoration, person may not catch up to expected normal height.
* Weakened immune system
* Icy hands and feet
* Excess hair on face, arms, and body. Long, downy lanugo hair. May be emaciated body's attempt to be warm.
* Dry, blotchy skin that has an unhealthy gray or yellow cast
* Anemia, malnutrition. Disruption of body's fluid/mineral balance (electrolyte imbalance, loss of potassium; can be fatal)
* Fainting spells, seizures, sleep disruption, bad dreams, mental fuzziness
* Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), including shakiness, anxiety, restlessness, and a pervasive itchy sensation all over the body.
* Anal and bladder incontinence, urinary tract infections, vaginal prolapse, and other problems related to weak and damaged pelvic floor muscles. Some problems may be related to chronic constipation, which is commonly found in people with anorexia nervosa. Structural damage and atrophy of pelvic floor muscles can be caused by low estrogen levens, excessive exercise, and inadequate nutrition. Surgery may be necessary to repair the damage.
* Because of changes in the brain associated with under-nourishment, binge eating, and purging, the person does not, and perhaps cannot, weigh priorities, make judgments, and make choices that are logical and rational for normal people. Recovery, once the process has begun, requires time for the brain to readjust -- chemically and physically -- to normal and healthy patterns of eating. This is a combined physical/psychological problem.

Answer 2

Loss of at least 3 consecutive menstrual periods (in women).

Not wanting or refusing to eat in public.

Other symptoms are: anxiety, weakness, brittle skin, shortness of breath, obsessiveness about calorie intake

Answer 3

Risks: Death
Syntoms: Every time you look at yourself in a mirror, you see yourself fat. You are obsessed with loosing weight and you stop eating.

Answer 4

Well, your hair will fall off, mood swings, your teeth decay, you usually got panic attack from starvation, and yeah, death. Isnt that enough for ppl to stop this stupid idea of starving themselves? It sure stops me.

Answer 5

its very unhealthy. u may develop ulcers from not eating.. and when you return back to eating, your body will store eveything u eat as fat! preparing u 4 ur next starvation.. dont do it. its terrible

Answer 6

Risks? It can kill you, do you need any other risks besides that?

Answer 7

Death