Anorexia is a condition commonly defined as self-induced starvation.  This definition can be misleading because a person with anorexia is often hungry but will refuse to eat by denying their own hunger and need for food as a result of an intense and distorted fear of becoming fat.  Other symptoms include excessive weight loss, restrictive control of caloric and fat intake, as well as obsessive thoughts of food/preparation and extreme worry about body shape and size.

SOME PHYSICAL COMPLICATIONS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA

• Heart damage (murmur, rhythm disturbance, heart failure)

• Kidney problems (stones, kidney failure)

• Bone density problems

• Low blood sugar, low pulse, low respiratory rate, elevated cholesterol

• Electrolytic imbalances

• Dehydration and malnutrition

• Constipation or slower emptying of food from the stomach

• Changes in menstrual cycle

• Low body temperature, slowed circulation

• Deteriorating hair and nail quality

• Sleep disturbances

• Skin rash, lanugo hair (soft hair that appears on the body for warmth)

• Water retention, bloating, abdominal pain

• Depression and mood swings

• Reduced energy