Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder which affects mostly the young female adolescents between 15-19 years. These patients refuse to maintain good health and are obsessed with fears of weight gain. These fears originate owing to their distorted image of self. This article enlists the various anorexia nervosa symptoms.
Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms:
- Low body weight
- Thinness
- Weight loss
- Emaciation – A wasting condition of the body involving loss of flesh
- Excessive care in eating
- Unusual eating habits
- Intentional starvation
- Cooking food for others and not for selves
- Playing with foods
- Weighing foods
- Desire to lose weight
- Denial of hunger
- Intense dissatisfaction with the body
- Fear of gaining weight
- Believing to be fat in spite of being thin
- Wearing layered clothing to hide body fat
- Repeated checking of body weight
- Vomiting
- Excessive exercise
- Purging – running to the bath room to self vomit the food eaten in order to reduce calories
- Hide or discard food
- Cut food into tiny pieces
- Refuse to eat around others
- Lanugo – Soft, fine hair grows on face and body
- Russell’s sign – Mark on the knuckles as fingers are frequently placed down the throat for causing vomiting
- Increased usage of laxatives, diet pills, water pills or ipecac syrup
- Delayed first period
- Irregular menstrual period
- Absent menstrual period
- Cold sensitivity
- Dry skin
- Thinning hair
- Anemia – Low count of red blood cells in the body which provide oxygen to the entire body
- Tooth decay
- Bone loss
- Hair loss
- Balding scalp
- Excess body hair
- Excess facial hair
- Heart palpitations – Abnormal and rapid beating of heart
- Low breathing rate
- Excessive urination
- Excessive thirst
- Low blood pressure
- Low thyroid function
- Swollen joints
- Light headedness
- Constipation
- Dehydration
- Withdrawal
- Secrecy
- Low Self esteem
- Resistance to treatment
- Denial of being ill
- Tendency to commit suicide
- Interpersonal conflict
- Hyperactivity
- Swelling of checks due to the saliva producing organs being enlarged caused by excessive vomiting
The above mentioned anorexia nervosa symptoms vary in their severity based on individual cases. They mostly remain latent and affect multiple organs of the body if not addressed on time.
