The consequences of bulimia health can be physical and psychological: chemical imbalances, esophagus problems, problems chewing food, kidney problems, pancreatitis, osteoporosis, anemia, irritability, depression, anxiety disorders, substance addiction, social isolation and others that a I'll explain to you next.
When you have bulimia, your body shape, size, and weight are harshly judged. To alleviate this discontent, you begin by developing strict diets to lose weight. However, as time goes by, hunger triggers the urge to eat compulsively..
The funny thing is that people who suffer from it are so afraid of gaining weight that even knowing the serious consequences that these habits have on health, they are not able to stop them.
The health consequences of bulimia can consist of harmful effects on a set of different systems and organs, some being less and others more dangerous to life.
We can define bulimia as the presence of binge eating episodes, or ingestion of a huge amount of food in a short period of time, followed by various strategies to avoid the weight gain that this food will cause.
Purgative methods are used, for example: laxatives, diuretics, forced vomiting, or extreme physical exercise. All this process is repeated and is accompanied by great suffering and a feeling of loss of control. (Here you can know the types of bulimia that exist)
It seems that the motivation that drives this behavior is an obsession to lose weight, due to disagreement with the shape or size of the body.
In a contradictory way, people who suffer from bulimia usually do not manifest it in their appearance. That is, they can have a body weight within normal and even overweight.
However, there are other hidden reasons in this disease: the desire for control, the desire for perfectionism, the desire to enter within the cultural or family demands, and the need to alleviate anxiety and the stress that this generates..
Binge and purge cycles can affect the entire digestive system, leading to chemical and electrolyte imbalances.
Electrolytes control essential functions of the body and some of them are potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus or sodium. They are usually lost after a severe loss of body fluids or dehydration, such as that which occurs after purges.
When the balance between sodium and potassium is out of balance, changes in the electrical signaling of the heart can lead to irregularities in the functioning of the heart. Specifically heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and even death.
If sodium is lacking, there is a drop in blood pressure and dizziness. On the other hand, if there is a magnesium deficiency, muscle weakness, tingling and cramps appear.
By vomiting, people with bulimia expose their mouths to powerful stomach acids, which are responsible for breaking down food in the stomach.
As a result, teeth are damaged and may even be lost, as acids can destroy the enamel that protect the teeth..
It is manifested by stains on the teeth, cavities, pain, unusual dental sensitivity to very cold, hot or sweet foods, inflammation of the gums, gingivitis, etc..
In addition, continued exposure to stomach acids can damage the salivary glands causing swelling and pain in the cheeks. This gives a wide and puffy face appearance..
Inflammation, deterioration and even rupture of the esophagus from frequent forced vomiting. Also due to contact with stomach acids ulcers and abnormal narrowing of the esophagus can occur due to inflammation of the esophagus. It can manifest itself with the appearance of blood in vomiting.
Sometimes a phenomenon called gastroesophageal reflux may appear, that is, due to the habit of vomiting the stomach contents return to the mouth spontaneously.
There is also difficulty speaking or hoarseness due to the wear and tear of the esophagus.
These difficulties occur due to the damage caused to the mouth and esophagus due to frequent vomiting..
The intestine presents irregular movements and due to the abuse of laxatives, chronic constipation and hemorrhoids occur. Other gastrointestinal effects include diarrhea, cramps, and bloating..
Gastric rupture can occur due to heavy periods of bingeing. There are serious situations of intestinal disorders in bulimia that may make surgical intervention essential for the digestive system to function properly again.
The prolonged abuse of diuretics can alter the functioning of the kidneys, causing urinary infections, production of stones or sand in the kidney, and even renal necrosis can appear that finally causes the loss of the kidney..
Peptide ulcers are crater-like lesions that appear in the mucosa of the stomach or duodenum..
Respiratory problems can occur, since it can happen that, by causing vomiting, a small amount of gastric acid enters the airways. That is why it is not surprising that pneumonia or bronchitis occur..
Other physical aspects include dry skin, very low blood pressure and pulse, cramps, muscle fatigue, weakness, fainting, and loss of consciousness.
In fact, these people tend to be more sensitive to the cold..
The type of food that is usually eaten during bingeing is caloric, with little nutritional value and with a large amount of sugar. They are usually candy, cookies, ice cream or chocolate.
Therefore, the few nutrients that the body can absorb are not the best for health.
Overuse of some medications to induce vomiting such as ipecac syrup can have serious side effects such as diarrhea, low blood pressure, chest pain, and trouble breathing..
Fluctuating and unstable body weight, due to nutrient imbalances and periodic malnutrition.
These changes alter your menstruation and reproductive capacity. There may even be amenorrhea or absence of menstruation. In men, stagnation can be found in the reproductive system..
A visible sign that appears as a result of frequent provoked vomiting is calluses or wounds on the fingers, especially on the knuckles. These signs are observed when the person makes himself vomit with his hands, due to the pressure of the teeth.
Other observable signs are lanugo, or fine and long hair that covers the entire skin to protect it due to the absence of fat, hair loss, brittle nails, paleness, etc..
Bulimics who are pregnant are twice as likely to have different health consequences, such as miscarriages, premature birth, breathing problems, pre-eclampsia, or high blood pressure in pregnancy..
Other consequences are the need for a cesarean section, a baby with low body weight at birth or even the baby dying at birth..
These people are also more at risk of developing depression during and after pregnancy.
Interestingly, it is common to find adolescents with type 1 diabetes and bulimia. This occurs because when treated with insulin (to reach adequate glucose levels) they begin to gain weight quickly, leading some to avoid insulin to lose weight again.
By not treating diabetes, the individual is at risk of developing multiple medical complications such as kidney failure or blindness.
Depression associated with intense feelings of guilt and shame after bingeing, anxiety, and obsessions.
Anxiety disorders such as social phobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc..
Substance use disorders develop in more than a third of people with bulimia.
There is a relationship between bulimia and borderline personality disorder, compared to other eating disorders.
Suicidal ideation and risk of suicide occur due to the great discomfort that these people feel continually as they are always dissatisfied with their body image. In addition, they are not oblivious to their situation: they perfectly notice that they are inside a vicious circle that has no way out..
In many cases, the distortion increases as the disease progresses. For example, in testimonies in which those affected have recovered, they frequently report that one day they suddenly looked in the mirror and realized their real appearance (obviously skinny) when they had always thought - falsely - that they were overweight.
The person is tired, sleepy and their thoughts revolve around food. It can also happen that due to the discontent they feel with their own body they do not feel like going out or socializing, although they usually avoid social events because they usually drink or eat. They tend to be continually attentive to themselves, becoming totally egocentric as a result of the disease.
If you live with the family, you may have confrontations with them for wanting to disappear at meal times, refusing to eat or constantly avoiding them.
A loss of libido and a lack of interest in meeting potential partners is also common..
Because the person does not have enough energy. In addition, what little strength he has left is spent on ruminating his obsessions about food and his body, compensatory behaviors such as excessive physical exercise or cooking or buying food.
Bulimic people can have sleep problems, as hunger and lack of nutrients cause cold, cramps and sleep disturbances. As a consequence of this, the person will be even more tired, and will see things in a more negative way..
They can have great feelings of guilt when they begin to realize that their illness has brought negative consequences in their life: they are not able to carry out leisure activities like their peers, they have lost their job or dropped out of school, they have put aside their friends, they feel bad about cheating or hurting their relatives, etc..
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Despite the severity of this disorder and its dangerous consequences, bulimia can be successfully treated. In fact, about half of bulimic people make a full recovery thanks to proper treatment..
It is important to intervene as soon as possible so that the damages are minor and easier to repair.
However, it must be known that bulimia is a very persistent disorder and that it produces obsessions that are very difficult to forget. It is not strange, therefore, that relapses occur in times of stress. No need to panic, just seek help.
We must bear in mind that recovery from a mental disorder such as bulimia is not immediate or linear, but rather it is something that oscillates: it has its best and worst moments and relapses are normal, the important thing is to know how to get up.
If you want to know how to prevent bulimia (and anorexia) you can find information here.
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