Clinical signs of anorexia nervosa, treatment and consequences
Anorexia nervosa refers to behavioral reactions due to which food intake suffers. Anorexia nervosa is one of the most difficult medical problems to treat, and it is a condition in which a person purposefully goes to any lengths to lose weight. Therefore, it is quite problematic to convince the patient to return to the previous diet, which ensures the normal supply of nutrients to the body and maintains proper weight.
This pathological condition is quite common: among women, symptoms of anorexia are observed in 1.2%, among men - in 0.29%. Young girls from 22 to 26 years old mostly suffer - in the last 10-15 years this category accounts for about 80% of all cases of anorexia nervosa.
When anorexia progresses, all organs and tissues suffer without exception, it can provoke the emergence of a wide range of diseases - primarily from the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, reproductive and central nervous systems.
Causes of anorexia nervosa
The main reasons for the development of anorexia nervosa:
- biological - they primarily include disruption of the action of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine), which regulate the so-called eating behavior;
- personal - perfectionism regarding one's own appearance and a false sense of inferiority when reality (body weight) does not match the invented ideal;
- cultural-sociological - signs of anorexia nervosa appear due to the constant pressure of public opinion, as if livestock is almost the most important sign of physical ugliness;
- stressful - many situations with a negative connotation (difficult situation at work, death of a loved one, divorce, etc.) can lead to restrictive measures regarding food.
Stages of the disease. Possible consequences
The following stages of the disease are distinguished:
- dysmorphomaniac;
- anorectic;
- cachectic.
According to patients, food restriction is their conscious choice and not a disease. Therefore, patients do not understand how they get anorexia and that the disease progresses from stage to stage.
At the dysmorphomaniac stage, the patient considers himself inferior due to his "excess" weight. The mood is depressed, the person begins to limit himself in food.
The anorectic stage is a period of persistent starvation. The patient manages to reduce his weight by 20-30% from the initial value, but he continues to adhere to strict diets and exhaust himself with physical exercises.
During the cachectic stage, which occurs on average 1.5-2 years after the onset of the disease, irreversible dystrophy of the tissues and organs of the entire body is observed. The main changes observed at the peak of weight loss:
- appearance of non-protein swellings;
- development of cardiovascular, hepatic, renal and other types of systemic failure, which lead to fatal consequences.
In those who died from anorexia, the weight deficit was 50% or more. At the same time, they tried to reduce the weight even more almost to the last.
Symptoms
The most important signs of anorexia nervosa:
- refusing to eat;
- artificially induced vomiting;
- taking laxatives;
- exhaustion by physical exercises;
- perception of one's body in a distorted form - as too full. This state develops to the level of obsession;
- in the prepubertal period – delay in growth and sexual development;
- disorders from the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and gonads. In women, they are manifested by amenorrhea (stopping of menstruation), in men - by loss of sexual desire and impotence;
- body weight with anorexia is at least 15% lower than expected, and Ketelet's body mass index is 17.5 or less. The Quetelet index is defined as the ratio of weight in kilograms to the squared value of height in meters;
- nervous and mental disorders - sudden changes in mood, irritability, depression, sleep disturbances (insomnia at night, sleepiness during the day).
Treatment and diet for anorexia
Psychotherapy is the basis of treatment. Thanks to it, patients with anorexia before and after recovery differ significantly in their perception of their weight and views on nutrition. After treatment, they are no longer afraid of "extra" half a kilogram.
It is very important to give the patient information about:
- destructive effect of stereotypes about weight. This point is especially important for understanding how to treat anorexia in teenagers who are easily influenced by society with its stereotypical standards of beauty;
- the harm of refusing food for health, longevity, childbearing and achieving a life goal;
- the role of nutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) for the vital activity of the body.
Diet for anorexia is not only a complete and balanced diet, but also correction of the intake of some chemical elements. Thus, it has been found that with chronic starvation, the body's energy demand is reduced. At the same time, weight gain can be promoted if you initially provide a low intake of potassium (there is a lot of this chemical element in bananas and potatoes), then gradually increase its amount. Food volumes should be increased gradually, according to specially developed schemes. About dietary nutrition in anorexia - more details on our website https://dobrobut.com.
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