Air for breakfast – what is anorexia nervosa?

Under these circumstances, it’s not surprising that the number of people affected by anorexia nervosa continues to increase. Anorexia is an eating disorder, which is caused when an affected person is trying to lose weight. This can be done by not eating at all, or through external means. Some of these methods include taking laxatives, dehydrating medicine or hormones that increase your metabolism’s productivity, as well as by self-induced vomiting or excessive physical activities. Most people affected are between 15 and 25 years old, while girls and young women are ten times more often affected than men. Even if the Western beauty ideal is a contributing factor for anorexia, the causes are manifold. Psychological factors play a central role, as anorexia can be the result of identificational problems or an impaired self-esteem. Conflicts or a burdened relationship towards parents, traumatic experiences or genetic predispositions are all involved in the development of anorexia as well.

In many cases, choosing to not eat is an attempt at acquiring control and autonomy over oneself and one’s own body. Anorexia can also be facilitated through neurobiological factors: fasting can have an exhilarating effect, because our body spills out a high amount of second messengers when hungry. These messengers act as ‘happy hormones’, stimulating our body's own reward system.

Affected people often have an above average intelligence or ambition, or a tendency to be a perfectionist. At the same time, anorexia victims have a deranged perception of their own bodies. Even though undernourished, they see themselves as too fat and are tantalizingly afraid of gaining weight. Excessively concentrating on nutrition becomes the top priority in their lives. Affected people often know nutrition values by heart, avoid certain products and count every single calorie. They also often enjoy cooking for other people without eating.

Aside from psychological changes, patients also develop symptoms that affect their body. Affected people are often cold, have low blood pressure and can develop hormonal disruptions as well as cardiac arrhythmia. Women often suffer from abnormal oestrous cycles. Through an extensive amount of vomiting, the electrolyte metabolism can become derailed and dental diseases can occur. The more haggard a body is, the higher the risk of falling ill to severe infections. It is hard to initially diagnose an eating disorder, as they often go unrecognized or mistaken as temporary diets. In many cases the affected try to cover up their actions by simulating eating or wearing oversize clothing. They also often trivialize the issue when addressed.

Anorexia is not only a harmful eating disorder, it is a life threatening disease. Many affected people develop further psychological illnesses such as depressions, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders and personality disorders. Compared to healthy people, the suicide rate is 20 times higher, and almost every tenth person dies from anorexia related consequences.

An early detection is crucial, as it can significantly improve the patient’s prognosis. The seca mBCA offers a precise diagnostic method for measuring exact body compositions. Losing weight that includes a large loss of muscular mass, points at an unhealthy weight loss and can substantiate a suspicion of anorexia. This enables addressing the subject early on and, if required, psychotherapy or medical therapy can be initiated. During the course of therapy, the stabilization and subsequent increase in weight can be monitored closely. By way of the seca mBCA diagnostic methods, it becomes impossible for the patient to influence the data by, for example, drinking large amounts before the appointment. The seca mBCA can produce an individual graph for every patient, that can be easily printed. Progress can be easily documented and patients can actively take part in the therapy, which all in all improves the success of the therapy.

Image 1 © “Vadim Guzhva” / Fotolia.com