Anorexia nervosa is a psychological condition in which the sufferer drastically reduces food intake and, as a result, experiences substantial loss of body weight. This loss of weight in anorexics is not related to any other disease process.
Most sufferers are teenage girls, and it is thought that the fear of puberty, peer and parental pressures, an exaggerated accent on one's appearance, and academic pressures or marriage - all particularly stressful events - can trigger the onset of the disease. In older women, the birth of a first child, career changes, divorce, or even menopause can cause the condition.
The prevalence of this illness has increased rapidly over recent years and possibly caused the popular notion that “thin is in.” Most anorexic patients have been overweight at some point in their lives, and initially lost weight in order to get back to an ideal weight. But this reduction in body weight becomes an obsession, and the patients live in irrational fear of regaining the lost weight. The dieting can go to such extremes that some anorexic patients weigh as little as 70 pounds.
Warning Signs
- Weight loss of at least 25 percent of original body weight, with no known illness to account for the loss
- Distorted perception of body image
- Refusal to maintain minimal normal body weight
- An intense fear of becoming obese, perhaps accompanied by the habitual consumption of diet foods, despite the loss of weight
- Cessation of menstrual periods
- Intolerance of cold
- Constipation
- Dizziness owing to low blood pressure or a low heart rate
- Growth of fine, fair hair over the entire body
- Tendencies to eat the same foods day after day and to be preoccupied with food, health, and exercise
The average anorexic is a perfectionist with a high IQ, but while suffering from the disease will perform poorly in school
One out of every 200 American girls between the ages of 12 and 18 develop anorexia nervosa to some degree. Ninety six percent of anorexics are between the ages of 12 and 30.
As a result of treatment, 49 percent of anorexics achieve normal body weight but usually develop other psychological problems, 31 percent gain some weight, 18 percent gain no weight.
Prevention and Treatment
Attractive, palatable meals should be offered in small servings, with foods selected with special regard to food preference
In early stages of treatment, bulky food should be avoided
At the beginning of treatment, the diet should supply the basal metabolic needs, which is the number of calories equal to the ideal weight times ten
Food intake should be gradually increased by 300 to 400 calories per week until caloric intake is sufficient for the patient to maintain daily activity and ideal body weight
The sufferer should be assured that the diet is low in calories and will not result in her becoming fat, she should be encouraged to measure and record how much food she consumes, and when she has a realistic idea of portion size, the emphasis on counting calories can be gradually lessened
Be sure the sufferer is not zinc deficient
