Anorexia nervosa. Overview, causes and risk factors.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by psychological  background and etiology. A person who suffers with anorexia nervosa follows a diet, containing very limited amounts of food. Such a diet can reach the levels of starvation and when combined with intense exercise, results in dramatic weight loss which, in turn, may affect the person’s general health very seriously. In anorexia nervosa, the individual refuses to maintain body weight, according to minimal health standards and he/she is obsessed with fear of weight gain. In other cases of anorexia nervosa, the person starts an intense low-caloric diet, in order to lose weight but even when the goal is achieved, the diet is continued and any further body weight loss is considered a success and any gain a failure.
Poor caloric and nutritional intake or excessive energy expenditure result in severe weight loss, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, reduced immunity, myoskeletal disorders and distorted physique. Anorexia nervosa, apart from being a psychiatric condition, in many cases, appears to be of a genetic and hereditary nature, as well.
Incidence, causes and risk factors for anorexia nervosa.
The precise causes of anorexia nervosa are not adequately identified yet but it is believed social body appearance standards and family or cultural factors may be involved in its development. Anorexia nervosa usually occurs in adolescence or young adulthood. Although female teenagers are the typical sufferers from anorexia nervosa, this eating disorder can occur in both genders and all ages. Anorexia nervosa affects 1-2% of the female population and only 0.1-0.2% of males. However, later statistics indicate that the percentages of middle-age women and males of all ages, who experience the eating disorder, are increasing.
Anorexia nervosa is diagnosed mainly in women who follow top-managerial or showbiz careers, devote themselves to high academic achievements and in people with complex personalities, combining ambition and insecurity. Some experts have come to the conclusion that conflicts within the family may contribute to the development of this anorexia nervosa. The development of anorexia may be a way for a child to draw attention away from marital problems among parents or from a new-born baby.
Researchers believe that people, who have undergone arsenic, mercury, lead or beryllium poisoning incidents are far more prone to experience anorexia nervosa in the immediate future.
Other demographic groups that may develop anorexia nervosa include people who are active in athletics, dancing, modeling or gymnastics, perfectionists, students being under prolonged heavy work pressure, very intelligent individuals, people included in the so-called high social or economic classes and females having a history of psychological or physical traumatic incident due to child abuse, domestic violence or sexual rape.
People of European, American and Australasian racial descent are more susceptible to anorexia nervosa.
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