Symptoms Of Anorexia - Health Issues
What Are The Medical Complications Of Anorexia?

Symptoms of anorexia can cause serious medical complications and health issues. This means that anorexia causes other illnesses. Here are four areas of physical health where symptoms can be life threatening, and may result in death.

Before I entered into eating disorder therapy, I used to hear and read all about the various medicalsymptoms of anorexia, yet I would think nothing of it.

I knew they were serious issues, but there was a certain amount of emotional disconnect - call it denial, if you will.

I assumed that those medical complications were for other people who were sicker than I was.

I didn't believe I was really that sick, so therefore, none of those nasty symptoms could possibly ever happen to me.

Not true at all. The sad irony is that the people who don't appear to be very ill are often the ones who are in the most danger because their bodies are being ravaged from the inside out.

Symptoms Of Anorexia

During my treatments for anorexia, it was explained to me that signs of anorexia tend to appear in at least three different ways: behavioral, emotional/cognitive and medical.

One seems to perpetuate the other, making for an extremely complex illness with regards to both diagnosis and treatment.

I'm presenting just some of the medical complications of anorexia and other eating disorders. The reality is that eating disorders effect every organ and tissue of the body, and these are the most common.

Cardiovascular Disorders - Symptoms Of Anorexia

Cardiovascular disorders are common symptoms of anorexia due to the fact that the heart is a muscle, and muscle atrophy is one of the dangers of anorexia. Other issues include:

Disruption of the normal heart rate (cardiac arrhythmias)
Low heart rate (bradycardia - under 50-60 beats per minute)
Low blood pressure symptoms (hypotension) - What is normal blood pressure?
Heart arrhythmia (irregular heart beat - abnormal heart rhythms)
Dilated cardiomyopathy - (heart muscle disease)

Dermatological Issues - Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms Of The Body

Dermatological issues are often present in a number of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa symptoms of the body are usually what people notice first. Most of these symptoms can be cured under medical supervision and with proper treatment.

Dry skin and nails
Delayed bone maturation, osteopenia, osteoporosis
Thinning scalp and hair
Low body temperature (hypothermia)
Brittle bones - stress fractures, small stature
Primary amenorrhea
Secondary amenorrhea
Lanugo
Peripheral edema
Electrolyte imbalance
Calcium deficiency
Bruising easily
Dexa scan - to check for osteopenia or osteoporosis

Dexa scan results

Gastrointestinal Problems - Symptoms Of Anorexia

Symptoms Of Anorexia

Gastrointestinal problems are frequent symptoms of eating disorders, not just anorexia.

Whether due to a starvation diet, or binge-purge cycles, the scariest part is that a side effect of the following complications could be death.

Inflamed pancreas - (displaying pancreatitis symptoms)
Mallory Weiss Syndrome
Early satiety - (feeling full all the time)
Delayed gastric emptying
Stomach rupture
Bloating and constipation

Hematological Complications - Blood Disorders, Other Issues

Hematological complications (or blood disorders) are among the earliest signs of eating disorders. You might be able to hide some of the secretive behaviors, but the blood never lies.

That said, some of these issues may fluctuate wildly throughout the duration of one's eating disorder. In my case, my blood work would look good one day, and be off the charts the next. Frequent monitoring is essential.