Anorexia: Symptoms & Diagnosis

It’s easy to give pat answers about the symptoms of anorexia because many are readily apparent. However, before you accept a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, be sure your medical practitioner has ruled out all chance that the loss of appetite may be caused by a physical dysfunction.

• Ask questions and keep asking until you receive satisfactory answers.
  Demand the medical tests that rule out physical causes.
• Don’t expect your general practitioner to have all the answers. Ask to be referred to a physician who specializes in digestive problems and disorders. 
• Many doctors won’t tell you that they “don’t know”. If you suspect for an instant that your doctor is one of them, ask for a second opinion.
• If you are dissatisfied with the results you get from one physician or health care facility, seek a second opinion.

Anorexia, usually diagnosed as anorexia nervosa, is a severe illness that recent statistics indicate has a mortality rate from 6% to 20%. Still, not all anorexia is anorexia nervosa. The word anorexia is defined as “loss of appetite”. Although anorexia nervosa is generally treated as a self-inflicted eating disorder, many physical ailments can cause anorexia or loss of appetite.

Some physical ailments exhibit the same physical symptoms as anorexia nervosa.

1. Gall bladder disease (gall stones)
2. Digestive track blockages (bowel blockages)
3. Cancer
4. Gastritis or gastroenteritis (infections of the digestive tract)

Physical Symptoms:

Anorexia nervosa is generally diagnosed when an individual has lost 15% or more of his or her normal body weight. In addition to noticeable weight loss, anorexia displays other physical symptoms including:

• Dental problems
• Bloating
• Unusual heart rhythms
• Loss of bone density
• Anemia
• Menstrual cycle abnormalities and/or changes

Behavioral Symptoms

The strongest clues to diagnosing anorexia nervosa appear in behaviors demonstrated by the anorexic individual.

• Preoccupation with food
• Refusal to eat
• Purging (vomiting) after eating
• Depression
• Irritability
• Peculiar eating habits (i.e. hiding food in a napkin, cutting food into extremely small pieces)
• Compulsive behaviors (i.e. counting the number of peas on a plate, separating like foods by size)

Diagnosis

Diagnostic Questions may include:

1. Your history of dieting and/or binge eating
2. Your frequency and type of laxative use.
3. How often and how strenuously you exercise
4. Do you self-induce vomiting?
5. Do you believe you are fat?
6. Do you believe you look fat to others?

Diagnostic Tests

• Blood count
• CT scan (Cat scan)
• Electro Cardiogram (EKG)
• Chest X-ray
• Sonograms (Bone density tests)
• Blood tests (used to check the function of internal organs)

In Summary:

Anorexia may be caused by physical conditions as well as behavioral problems. In either case, it is a monster that would have you watch your child or loved one disappear inch by inch before your eyes.

If you suspect a loved one has anorexia nervosa, look for the behavioral signs that are the true indicators of this manisfestation of the illness. Consider the diagnostic questions your physician will ask and expect your medical professional to provide satisfactory answers to your questions. Only comprehensive diagnostic testing and medical evaluation will save your loved one from the jaws of this beast.

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