Anorexia in men?

Anorexia in men keeps increasing

Over the last few years, anorexia has continued to be diagnosed in men, at an increased frequency. As men reach puberty later than women, the disorder affects them often between the ages of 18 and 26. With a current estimation of 0.3% of all men suffering from anorexia, they are affected more rarely than women - leading to difficulties in treatment, as most treatments are targeted at and designed for women. Because men generally fear being stigmatized for having fallen victim to a predominantly female disorder, they often seek medical treatment at an already advanced stage and worse, they get frequently misdiagnosed. Since men have to overcome so many obstacles to find and receive appropriate treatment, the progression of the disorder for men is much more severe than in female patients.

Men are most affected by anorexia athletica

Despite similar psychosocial factors, the disorder progresses differently in men than in women - especially during the early stages: most affected women use dieting, self-induced vomiting and medication to acquire a desired body type. Anorexic men, on the other hand, initially attempt to build up muscle mass and then subsequently develop the obsession to reduce their body fat. Their excessive training is often enhanced by the misuse of anabolics. This form of the disorder is therefore called “anorexia athletica”.

Why does the number of reported cases of male anorexia keep rising?

The reasons have less to do with a lifestyle phenomenon, than with many doctors, patients and their relatives coming to realize that anorexia nervosa is not a purely female disorder. And this realization has led to more and more men stepping forward and getting properly diagnosed. In addition, the media-celebrated body cult and current beauty standards seem to contribute to the disease, in terms of heightened health risks for both sexes. In many cases, the disorder reflects a desire to completely control the body.

Some arguments see this increase in male patients as a direct expression of the changing gender roles, with affected men focusing on their muscles as a masculine trait in order to distinguish themselves better. While the majority of patients develop the disorder during their teenage years or as young adults, it has been reported that nowadays anorexia can occur in children as young as five in the UK. According to 35 public hospitals records, 2,000 children between the ages of five and 15 have been treated for severe eating disorders, over a course of three years – among those were 98 children between the ages of five and seven.

In order to achieve good therapeutic results and to improve patients’ overall prognosis, an early examination and diagnosis is crucial. While many doctors are more aware of anorexia in girls and young women nowadays, the disorder tends to remain undetected in young men. Regular weighing and measuring of the patients’ body composition can help detect the condition at an early stage, because a significant loss of fat, and later muscle mass, can draw our attention to the disease.. Our seca mBCA is particularly suited for regular and accurate monitoring of these parameters. The
seca mBCA not only facilitates the diagnosis, but can also be used for closely monitored therapy, thus increasing the overall success of the treatment.

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