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Overtime bulimia disrupts the body's normal functions and can lead to several health complications which can be serious and even life threatening. Find out more about the dangers of bulimia.
Note
The consequences of bulimia are highly dependent on the type of purging used. However the most common are digestive, electrolyte disturbance and dental problems.
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• Binging can push your stomach to its full capacity and cause ruptures
• Frequent vomiting can also cause ruptures in the linings of your esophagus and stomach
• Vomiting can lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer – this happens when acid from the stomach thins the esophagus, if this happens it is often deadly.
• Vomiting also leads to the stomach lining to weaken allowing acids to burn the stomach wall, which can create perforating ulcers, these can be life-threatening if left untreated.
• Vomiting can also create a ‘Mallory-Weiss’ tear this is a tear of the gastroesophageal junction.
• It can also cause a gastric rupture in a form of stomach erosion, perforation or rupture.
• It can create gastrointestinal Bleeding, which can cause bleeding into the digestive tract.
• There is high risk of getting peptic ulcers and pancreatitis.
• As well as high risk of having a abnormal bowel functioning
Many choose to purge by using laxatives rather than vomiting. But laxative abuse is also very damaging abusing laxatives can result in chronic irregular bowel movements and constipation.
Laxative abuses can lead to:
• Nausea
• Water retention
• Colon infection
• Severe abdominal pain
• Chronic Diarrhea
• Gas and bloating
• Chronic Constipation
• Bowel tumors
• Kidney damage
• Organ damage
• Colon failure
• And even death
Purging can lead to serious dehydration from a loss of lots of fluid when vomiting or taking laxatives along with this fluid loss, purging also eliminates electrolytes like potassium and sodium from the body.
Electrolytes work with the nervous system to send messages throughout the body. They act to promote healthy teeth, joints and bones, nerve and muscle impulses, normal kidneys and heart functioning, blood sugar levels and work to provide the delivery of oxygen to the cells. Low levels of electrolytes can create serious health consequences.
The electrolyte system is very sensitive to a drop in levels of vital minerals; this can lead to an electrolyte imbalance. If this takes place a person can suffer from irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), heart failure and even death.
As well as these vital electrolytes purging also removes iron from the body. An iron deficiency can lead to anemia. Anemia can lead to fatigue, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath and can increase your chance of catching infection.
Other problems associated with bulimia include
Swelling of salivary glands from self-induced vomiting, this can cause the face and neck to swell and create a puffy appearance.
• Broken blood vessels in the face and bags under the eyes, forceful vomiting can cause the blood vessels in your eyes to burst, this causes bruising and can take up to a week to fade.
• Amenorrhea, this can happen when your body reaches a low body weight and can stop your menstrual cycle.
• Bloating and water retention, this can happen after dehydration, the body retains water and can make you bloated.
• Chronic sore throat, acid and self induces vomiting can hurt the back of the throat and leaves it open to infection.
• Insomnia, having problems falling asleep or sleep disturbances
• Malnutrition, this is caused by under eating or overeating, when you are malnourished you will have a deficiency for energy, protein and micronutrients (e.g. vitamin A, iodine and iron). Being malnourished can cause severe health problems including respiratory infections, blindness, kidney failure, heart attack and can be fatal.
• Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies - Dry Skin, brittle hair, hair loss, and brittle nails are all associated with vitamin and Mineral deficiencies, malnutrition and dehydration.
• Muscle wasting – if your body weight drops substantially low your body can start to feed of itself to stay alive.
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Lanugo - (soft downy hair on face, back and arms). When there is a significant amount of body fat lost your body produces more hair to keep a person warm during periods of starvation and malnutrition
• Edema – this is a swelling of the soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation. It can be noticeable in the legs and feet of compulsive overeaters and in the abdominal area of bulimics, this can be caused by using laxatives and diuretics.
• Continuous vomiting can result in Acid Reflux Disorders, this causes partially digested items in the stomach to regurgitate back into the esophagus. This can cause damage to the esophagus, larynx and lungs and increase the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus or voice box. Severe reflux can result in the inability to keep food down and medical attention needed.
• Scarred, callused or bruised hands and knuckles, caused by teeth and forceful vomiting by repeatedly using the fingers to induce vomiting.
• Low Blood Pressure cause by low body temperature, malnutrition and dehydration, if this is too low can lead to heart palpitations, fainting, dizziness and blurred vision.
• High Blood Pressure is common with Binge Eating; it can create an elevation in blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90. And can lead to heart attacks, kidney failure and brain damage.
• Osteoporosis, thinning of the bones due vitamin deficiency
There are many health consequences that come with bulimia, the common problems are from dental erosion, electrolyte imbalance and digestive problems. The more the person engages with purging generates a higher risk of health problems.
Most bulimics are more than aware that their eating habits are causing harm, however just like smokers who are told continuously of the dangers of smoking; many times it does not generate enough incentive to stop.
The good news is that many of the symtoms of bulimia can disappear after recovery.