USMF “NICOLAE TESTEMIȚANU”

CATEDRA DE BIOSTATISTICĂ

Profesor coordonator: OLGA PENINA

Realizator: Hasan Diab, M1754
Anorexia nervosa
 IS an eating disorder in which a person is
obsessed with weight, body shape and food
intake to the point of self-imposed starvation.
Anorexia symptoms frequently develop over a
period of years in women and men with certain
genetic, emotional or life-experience
predispositions. Anorexia most often develops
in young women during the teenage years, but
increasing reports cite symptoms of anorexia
and other eating disorders in pre-teen girls and
boys.
Anorexia nervosa symptoms
appear in two inter-related
patterns:
 Conscious refusal to maintain
a body weight that’s healthy
for a man or woman’s age and
height
 Severely distorted self-image,
and obsession with the
perception that he or she is
overweight, even when
severely underweight
What Causes Anorexia?

 Low self-esteem, which may stem from

unresolved experiences of neglect or abuse
during childhood
 Obsessive or compulsive personality traits,
which make it easier to adhere to strict diets and
resist hunger
 Perfectionism, when centered on the body leads
to thought distortions such as “I’m never thin
enough.”
 Low levels of serotonin, one of the brain
chemicals involved in depression
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia?
However, eating disorder treatment professionals can distinguish symptoms of
anorexia from other medical conditions by identifying physical signs such as:
 extreme weight loss
 thin appearance
 abnormal blood counts
 elevated liver enzymes
 fatigue
 dizziness or fainting
 seizure
 brittle nails
 hair that thins, breaks or falls out
 absence of menstruation (amenorrhea)
 development of fine hair on the extremities (lanugo)
 constipation
 dry skin
 intolerance of cold
 irregular heart rhythms
 low blood pressure
 dehydration
Bulimia Nervosa
 Is a psychological and severe life-
threatening eating disorder described by the
ingestion of an abnormally large amount of
food in short time period, followed by an
attempt to avoid gaining weight by purging
what was consumed.
Causes of Bulimia

The exact cause of bulimia nervosa is currently

unknown; though it is thought that multiple factors
contribute to the development of this eating
disorder, including genetic, environmental,
psychological, and cultural influences. Some of the
main causes for bulimia include:
 Stressful transitions or life changes
 History of abuse or trauma
 Negative body image
 Poor self-esteem
 Professions or activities that focus on
appearance/performance
Bulimia Signs & Symptoms

 An individual suffering from bulimia

nervosa may reveal several signs and
symptoms, many which are the direct result
of self-induced vomiting or other forms of
purging, especially if the binge/purge cycle
is repeated several times a week and/or day.
Bulimia Signs & Symptoms
Physical signs and symptoms of this eating disorder are:
 Constant weight fluctuations
 Electrolyte imbalances, which can result in cardiac
arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, or ultimately death
 Broken blood vessels within the eyes
 Enlarged glands in the neck and under the jaw line
 Oral trauma, such as lacerations in the lining of the mouth or
throat from repetitive vomiting
 Chronic dehydration
 Inflammation of the esophagus
 Chronic gastric reflux after eating or peptic ulcers
 Infertility
Signs and symptoms of binge eating and
purging are:
 Disappearance of large amounts of food
 Eating in secrecy
 Lack of control when eating
 Switching between periods of overeating
and fasting
 Frequent use of the bathroom after meals
 Having the smell of vomit
CAUSES ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA
General statistics:
 At least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating
disorder in the U.S.
 Every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating
disorder.
 Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
 13% of women over 50 engage in eating disorder behaviors.
 In a large national study of college students, 3.5% sexual minority women
and 2.1% of sexual minority men reported having an eating disorder.
 16% of transgender college students reported having an eating disorder.
 In a study following active duty military personnel over time, 5.5% of women
and 4% of men had an eating disorder at the beginning of the study, and
within just a few years of continued service, 3.3% more women and 2.6%
more men developed an eating disorder.
 Eating disorders affect all races and ethnic groups.
 Genetics, environmental factors, and personality traits all combine to create
risk for an eating disorder.
Anorexia Nervosa
 0.9% of American women suffer from anorexia in their lifetime.
 1 in 5 anorexia deaths is by suicide.
 Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) is a ratio between the
observed number of deaths in an study population and the
number of deaths would be expected. SMR for Anorexia
Nervosa is 5.86.
 50-80% of the risk for anorexia and bulimia is genetic.
 33-50% of anorexia patients have a comorbid mood disorder,
such as depression. Mood disorders are more common in the
binge/purge subtype than in the restrictive subtype.
 About half of anorexia patients have comorbid anxiety
disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and social
phobia.
Bulimia Nervosa:

 1.5% of American women suffer from bulimia

nervosa in their lifetime.
 SMR for Bulimia Nervosa is 1.93.
 Nearly half of bulimia patients have a comorbid
mood disorder.
 More than half of bulimia patients have
comorbid anxiety disorders.
 Nearly 1 in 10 bulimia patients have a
comorbid substance abuse disorder, usually
alcohol use.
Treatment for anorexia
 Psychologists are finding effective ways to treat these
dangerous disorders.
 Family therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and
interpersonal psychotherapy can help individuals
overcome two common eating disorders.
 Anorexia treatment
 Families can play a key role in treating anorexia,
according to clinicians using a treatment known as
the Maudsley approach.
 The treatment is a form of family therapy that enlists
parents’ aid in getting their children to eat again.
 Early in the treatment, clinicians invite the family to
share a picnic meal. That gives them a sense of family
meal patterns. It also allows them to suggest ways
parents can get the child to eat more.
Treatment for anorexia

 In weekly sessions, the parents then describe what they’ve

fed their child and what’s working well.
 The approach also helps to strengthen the childrens’
feelings of independence by gradually letting them take
control of their eating. Clinicians also help the family
learn how to help the child cope with the challenges of
adolescence.
 In contrast to current treatment, this approach is relative
short-term. It relies mostly on outpatient treatment. And
it’s successful over the long term, say researchers.
 One study found that two-thirds of patients regained
normal weight without hospitalization. Most showed big
improvements in psychological functioning. And parents
became less critical of each other and their children.
Bulimia treatment

The largest controlled study on bulimia so far

shows that two types of psychotherapy can help
individuals stop bingeing and purging:
 Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps
individuals change the unrealistically negative
thoughts they have about their appearance and
change their eating behaviors.
 Interpersonal psychotherapy helps
individuals improve the quality of their
relationships, learn how to address conflicts
head-on and expand their social networks.
BIBLIOGRAFIE/WEBOGRAFIE

 [Link]
bulimia-nervosa
 [Link]
slideshow
 [Link]
eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/
 [Link]
reports/diagnosis-and-assessment-issues-eating-
disorders/page/0/1
 [Link]
 [Link]
disorder/anorexia/signs-effects
 [Link]