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Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that predominantly affects young women. Warning signs include a preoccupation with food consumption, calorie counting, and weight loss. Bulimics may experience personality or mood changes, substance abuse problems, and exhibit methodical behaviors to hide their compulsive behaviors. Physical signs include tooth enamel loss, inflamed gums, and joint discomfort. Malnutrition can lead to serious conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias, pancreatitis, and arterial disease.
Individuals with bulimia, also known as bulimia nervosa, often take extreme measures to hide their binge eating and purging compulsions. Over time, this serious eating disorder becomes harder to hide as the emotional and physical effects begin to take their toll. Predominantly affecting young women, the onset of the disease can be influenced by a variety of physiological, social and personal factors. Bulimics may initially show warning signs which, over time, may be replaced by dramatic and potentially life-threatening physical effects that worsen without treatment.
The signs of bulimia often revolve around an adopted thought process that consistently reflects an individual’s concern with self-image, diet, and weight. Those possessing such obsessions often show additional signs of bulimia which often include a preoccupation with food consumption and calorie counting that borders on anxiety and an unhealthy fear of gaining weight. Also, an obsession with weight and body shape that requires the use and abuse of diet pills, laxatives, and water pills to facilitate weight loss can be a sign of bulimia. To supplement their pill use and habitual purging, bulimic individuals may develop a harmful compulsion to exercise that replaces rest in the wake of illness or injury.
It is not uncommon for an individual with bulimia to experience personality or mood changes, including anxiety, guilt, and depression. Some individuals often develop substance abuse problems that can become more pronounced if they are unable to act out their compulsions. Behavioral signs of bulimia can include taking unusual and sometimes illegal actions to facilitate binge eating and purging compulsions. Some individuals may resort to shoplifting or stealing money to supplement their need for food or pills. Others may demonstrate methodical behaviors, such as patronizing various groceries in different parts of town, to hide their compulsive behaviors.
The signs of bulimia are often manifested in eating habits, which adopt characteristics that can serve to warn those close to the person that something is wrong. Many people with bulimia may choose to eat in private so as not to arouse suspicion. Sneaking, secrecy about food consumption, and repeated or extended fasts are common red flags that something is wrong. Those who choose to eat in front of others often excuse themselves immediately or immediately after eating to look for a bathroom to purify themselves. It is quite common for bulimic individuals to exhibit pronounced weight fluctuations, such as losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time.
During the early stages of binge eating and purging, physical signs of bulimia can include the development of puffiness in the cheeks and jaw line. The distension generally occurs due to the stress placed on the salivary glands, blood vessels, and mucosa during the bleeding process. Repeated introduction of stomach acids into the oral cavity during bleeding often results in tooth enamel loss and eventually tooth decay. The soft tissues of the oral cavity also become inflamed and irritated, resulting in inflammation of the gums and sometimes the formation of ulcerated tissue. Calluses can also form on a bulimic’s fingers and knuckles from constant use while purging.
Over time, binges and purging deplete valuable nutrients and electrolytes needed for the body to function properly. Women with bulimia may experience interrupted periods or abnormal bleeding due to the chemical disruption that bulimia indirectly causes in the reproductive system. The stress that bulimia places on the body can also lead to lethargy, joint discomfort, and loss of muscle tone. Extensive potassium deprivation can result in a disorder known as hypokalemia, which if left untreated can lead to high blood pressure and cognitive impairment. Other serious conditions that can result from bulimia-induced malnutrition include cardiac arrhythmias, pancreatitis, and arterial disease.
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