Anorexia Nervosa
• Definition
· Anorexia nervosa is the disease of an abnormal body image and abnormal or extreme fear of becoming overweight.
• Overview
· Anorexia nervosa is more common in women than men and about 1% of women will develop anorexia nervosa at some time during their life.
· Anorexia nervosa may have a genetic component and there is a higher risk of developing Anorexia nervosa among family members.
· Anorexia nervosa usually develop during adolescence is more likely to present after a major stress.
• Symptoms
· Anorexia nervosa symptoms include:
· Absent normal menstrual cycle (periods)
· cold intolerance
· slow heart rate
· poor quality hair or hair loss due to malnutrition
• Complications
· Anorexia nervosa and severe malnutrition can cause:
· heart abnormalities
· arrhythmias
· bone marrow dysfunction
· dehydration
· kidney insufficiency
· liver damage
• Treatment
· Initial treatment for severe Anorexia nervosa may require hospitalization
· Psychological therapy and counseling
· No medications have been FDA approved in the treatment of anorexia nervosa but antidepressant medications have been used with some success.
References
Torpy JM et al. JAMA Anorexia nervosa. JAMA. 2006 Jun 14;295(22):2684. [PMID: 16772633]
Wilson GT et al. Eating disorders guidelines from NICE. Lancet. 2005 Jan 1-7;365(9453):79-81. [PMID: 15639682]
Deter H-C, Herzog W: Anorexia nervosa in a long-term perspective: Results of the Heidelberg-Mannheim study. Psychosom Med 56:20, 1994. [PMID: 8197311]
Posted on September 24, 2008
