Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by an irrational fear of gaining weight -- even when dangerously thin. As this eMedTV article explains, anorexia can lead to severe health risks, including cardiac arrest, brittle bones, and brain damage.
Possible anorexia causes include genetics, biochemistry, and environmental factors. As this page of the eMedTV archive explains, more research is needed before the causes of this condition can be precisely determined.
Of the warning signs of anorexia, excessive weight loss is the most obvious. However, as this eMedTV article explains, there are often subtle warning signs as well, such as dressing in layers and conducting elaborate rituals around food.
Avoidance of food and obsession with exercise are possible anorexia symptoms. This eMedTV article provides detailed information about early signs and symptoms, as well as information about symptoms that occur when anorexia is more advanced.
Early anorexia treatment gives the best chance of restoring a person to normal weight. As this eMedTV Web page explains, treatment for this condition may involve medications, nutritional counseling, and, in severe cases, hospitalization.
People with anorexia are at risk of psychological issues, cardiac failure, and even death. This eMedTV article describes anorexia's health risks in detail, including those that remain after the disease has been treated.
As this eMedTV page explains, anorexia in males is not much different from anorexia in females. This article points out how men with the eating disorder suffer from the same problems -- and how the same treatment methods are often applied.
Appetite control biology, hormones, and genetics are current areas of focus to better understand anorexia. This eMedTV resource discusses ongoing anorexia research in detail, explaining preliminary findings and their link to the eating disorder.
The anorexia statistics in this eMedTV article indicate that while the related death rate is higher than all other causes of death in women, more men are developing the disease. These statistics also show that the problem is a global one.
