Description
One of two common eating disorders, anorexia is a condition in which a
person refuses to eat sufficient food to maintain a minimum normal weight for age and
height. The consequent wasting away has serious effects on many body systems, and may
result in death. A weight loss of 25% is one criterion for diagnosing anorexia. Tending to
start in early teens, 1 in 100 Australian schoolgirls have anorexia nervosa.
Bulimia is an eating disorder marked by cycles of binge eating of
excessive quantities of food, followed by purging using vomiting, laxatives or diuretics.
Unlike anorexia, a person with bulimia is rarely grossly underweight. The purging can
seriously damage health. The gastric acid from vomiting excoriates sensitive oesophageal
mucosa; excessive laxative and diuretic use can impair body electrolyte balance, bowel and
kidney function. Bulimia tends to start in late teens and older age groups. Estimated to
affect about 6% of Australian women. |
Information
& Support
NSW
Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders Information and links.
Eating Disorders Foundation of
Victoria Information and links.
See also the australiahealth.com pages on
Eating Disorders |
