What health problems are caused by anorexia and bulimia?
Anorexia can cause many serious health problems. Usually women stop having their menstrual periods. Dry skin and thinning hair on the head are common, although fine hair may grow on other parts of the body. Other complications include difficulty sleeping and concentrating, constipation, depression, frequently feeling cold, getting ill often, brittle bones that break easily (osteoporosis) and weakened muscles. If severe anorexia isn’t treated, the person may die. Bulimia may be less noticeable as sufferers usually keep a constant weight. However, continually vomiting and/or taking laxatives causes other health problems, which include a puffy face and swollen fingers, muscle weakness, stomach pains, long-term constipation and tooth decay as, over time, the stomach acid brought up by vomiting dissolves the tooth enamel. How are these eating disorders treated? Recognising an eating disorder quickly is vital to recovery. A person with an eating disorder can be helped much more easily if the
