Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is defined as two or more episodes of binge eating (rapid consumption of a large amount of food, up to 5,000 calories) every week for at least three months. The binges are sometimes followed by vomiting or purging and may alternate with compulsive exercise and fasting. The symptoms can develop at any age from early adolescence to 40, but usually become clinically serious in late adolescence. Bulimia is not as dangerous to health as anorexia, but it has many unpleasant physical effects, including fatigue, weakness, constipation, fluid retention, swollen salivary glands, erosion of dental enamel, sore throat from vomiting, and scars on the hand from inducing vomiting. Overuse of laxatives can cause stomach upset and other digestive troubles. Other dangers are dehydration, loss of potassium, and tearing of the esophagus. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently. Women with diabetes, who have a high rate of bulimia, often lose weight after an eating binge by reducing their dose of insulin. According to recent research, this practice damages eye tissue and raises the risk of diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness. Many anorectic women also indulge in occasional eating binges, and half of them make the transition to bulimia. About 40% of the most severely bulimic patients have a history of anorexia. It is not clear whether the combination of anorexia with bingeing and purging is more debilitating, physically or emotionally, than anorexia alone. According to some research, anorectic women who binge and purge are less stable emotionally and more likely to commit suicide. But one recent study suggests that, on the contrary, they are more likely to recover. The exact cause of the disorder is unknown, but a variety of psychological, social, cultural, familial and biochemical theories are being investigated. Bulimia has been recognized for a much shorter time than anorexia, and there is less

References: Roth, W.T., & Insel P.M. (1996). Core Concepts in Health. Toronto: Mayfield. Kendler, K.S. (1991). The genetic epidemiology of bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148:1627-1637. Mitchell, J.E. (1996). Bulimia Nervosa. West Virginia Health Page. http://www.wvhealth.wvu.edu/clinical/mentalhealth/edbulim.htm