Effects Of Anorexia
What Are The Effects Of Anorexia?
There are multiple effects of Anorexia Nervosa, most commonly referred to simply as anorexia. It is a complicated disease, having many possible causes, and numerous effects. Statistics on anorexia are also difficult to come by, as many who are afflicted with the condition are secretive about it.
Anorexic people are more often than not quite normal in most respects, outside of their eating disorder. They have a tendency to want to achieve, to please others, and often strive for perfection. Appearance is important to them, and along with that there is a fear of being overweight or fat. It's their obsessive desire and determination to lose weight continuously that brings on the effects of anorexia.
From a medical perspective, anorexic people are starving themselves, and when faced with starvation, the organs in the body begin to deteriorate, and the individual's health soon beings to suffer. That the gastrointestinal system will suffer complications probably should not be a surprise. In response to the effects of anorexia, in essence the effects of starvation, the absorption of food nutrients into the body will begin to slow down, with stomach pain and constipation likely symptoms. The anorexic person will often take laxatives as a remedy, which if taken frequently, will only make matters worse. Taking excessive amounts of laxatives can cause an electrolyte imbalance, which can have serious medical consequences.
The heart is also affected. An anorexic person often will have lower than normal blood pressure, and an abnormally low pulse rate. This again is the body's reaction to starvation, which is one of slowing down. While the heart itself may remain reasonably healthy, it will often suffer a reduction in its work capacity, hence could more easily become overstressed. Proper functioning of the immune system can become an issue, leaving the individual more susceptible to infections. Not surprisingly, anorexics often suffer from anemia. Because of mineral losses, and deficiencies in available nutrients in general, bone loss will very often accompany anorexia. Even if the anorexia itself is successfully treated, and a full recovery has been made, the chances of osteoporosis developing eventually often increase.
Anorexia can have very severe effects when it comes to conception and pregnancy. The anorexic person will often experience irregular menstrual cycles, and have difficulty in conceiving. If conception does occur, and the diet is neither sufficient nor healthy, and the woman is severely underweight, the chances of miscarriage and premature birth can increase significantly.
Anorexia is most noticeable of course when those suffering from it become very thin, and eventually very, very thin. Initially, this thinness can be attractive, and that is often the goal of the anorexic person. Unfortunately, thinness becomes a compulsion, with the rationale that "thinner is better" and even more, better still. While bodily organs are taking a toll from the effects of anorexia, this is for the most part not noticeable to the layman. The skin is an organ of course, the body's largest, and the toll taken by starving one's self soon does become observable, as the skin becomes dry and flaky, nails can become brittle, and hair loss can occur. Even when an anorexic individual has been able to recover completely from the disease, some of the damage done can linger for a long time afterwards.