In a society that values slender or thin model-like bodies and thinness as a healthy general trend, almost every individual has become self-conscious and weary of their weight. Nonetheless, individuals with eating disorders take these obsessions to the extreme thereby developing abnormal eating habits that threaten not only their health but also lives. Thus, eating disorders are a group of medical or psychological conditions characterized by unusual and unhealthy eating habits. There are three primary eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
Anorexia Nervosa : this is a mental health disorder that creates the perception of a distorted body image thereby causing the affected individuals to see themselves as overweight despite being dangerously thin. The condition is characterized by weight loss often resulting from excessive dieting and exercise –at times to the point of starvation. Anorexics thus binge and purge by misusing laxatives or vomiting. Furthermore, as Mehler & Brown (2015) ascertain, the disorder is comorbid to a myriad of medical complications which worsen the progressive malnutrition.
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Bulimia Nervosa : it is also a mental health disorder where individuals consume excessive quantities then purge their bodies of the food through laxatives, diuretics, or enemas for fear of calorie build-up. Examples of diuretics here include vomiting or extreme exercises. Due to the shame and disgust of their binge actions, they act in secrecy but feel relieved of the negative emotions once they purge their stomachs to emptiness. The condition is also characterized by feelings of loss of control or lack of restraint regarding the individual’s eating behavior. Similar to anorexia, bulimia is comorbid to other medical conditions underpinned by both the mode and frequency of purging behavior.
Binge Eating Disorder : this is also a medical eating disorder which refers to regular episodes of extreme and compulsive overeating. Similar to bulimia, binge eating is characterized by feelings of loss of control or lack of restraint. For instance, an individual who cannot restrain himself or herself from eating even if he or she is uncomfortably full or not hungry is likely to be diagnosed with binge eating disorder. However, unlike bulimia and anorexia, individuals with binge eating do not purge their bodies or indulge in extreme exercises.
Medical Consequences of Bulimia and Anorexia
Bulimia Nervosa
Self-induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives account for 90% of all purging behaviors in Bulimia nervosa, (Mehler & Rylander, 2015). Thus, one of the significant consequences of the two practices is acid reflux and damage to the esophageal sphincters. Moreover, the pharynx and larynx also get damaged; a condition referred to as the laryngopharyngeal reflux. When the regurgitated acidic contents also come in contact with the vocal cords, the results are hoarseness, chronic cough, dysphagia, and persistent sore throats. Other than the throat region, the gastrointestinal tract is as well victim to induced vomiting. Thus, as a result of repeated abnormal exposure of the esophageal epithelium to acidic gastric contents, medical conditions such as esophagitis, bleeding, ulcers and esophageal erosions, and Barrett’s esophagus arise. Laxatives, on the other hand, result in a compromised gastrointestinal system, hypovolemia, and electrolyte imbalances. Also, cathartic colon syndrome, functional impairment, and melanosis coli are medical consequences associated with laxatives.
Anorexia Nervosa
Concomitant medical complications of anorexia, on the other hand, generally affect major organ systems and often include physiological disturbances such as hypotension, hypothermia, and bradycardia. According to Mehler & Brown (2015), comorbid medical conditions account for half of all the reported mortality in patients with anorexia nervosa. On the same accord, statistics edify that the mortality rate among patients with anorexia nervosa is between ten to twelve times higher than the mortality in the general population. The high mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder associated with anorexia is further attributed to other detrimental medical complications such as cerebral atrophy, pancytopenia due to starvation and malnutrition, arrhythmia or sudden death, mitral valve prolapse, respiratory failure, spontaneous pneumothorax, and hepatitis. However, the severity of the medical complications depends on the exacerbation of the disorder as well as the degree or rate of weight loss.
References
Mehler, P. S., & Brown, C. (2015). Anorexia nervosa–medical complications. Journal of eating disorders , 3 (1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-015-0040-8
Mehler, P. S., & Rylander, M. (2015). Bulimia Nervosa–medical complications. Journal of eating disorders , 3 (1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-015-0044-4
