Is bulimia nervosa dangerous?

Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder that causes many health effects such as fatigue, heart rhythm disturbances, kidney failure, ... or even death. Therefore, early diagnosis and effective treatment are the most important measures to control bulimia nervosa.

This is an eating disorder that is common in women, especially girls during puberty. The disease is characterized by periods of binge eating, followed by periods of trying to lose weight with extreme diets. Specifically, the patient will binge eat, then fear to find ways to remove food from the body such as using laxatives, hooking the throat to vomit, exercising too hard,... Later on, Patients will find it harder to control their eating habits.
Manifestations of people with bulimia :
Lack of control over eating, unable to stop eating, eating until the body feels uncomfortable, abdominal pain; Hide your irregular eating habits; Eating an unusually large amount of food; There is a change between binge eating and no eating phases; Frequent vomiting after meals; Using laxatives, diuretics, or slimming pills to lose weight;

Excessive exercise after eating, especially vigorous exercise; Patients often do not lose weight or have a slight weight gain, teeth are yellow due to acid (if the throat is vomiting frequently),... The main cause of bulimia nervosa is loss of confidence and concern. excessive weight and body shape. In addition, patients with emotional problems (depression, stress, anxiety, ...) are also prone to bulimia. Besides, children who have been sexually abused, whose parents use stimulants, etc. are also prone to bulimia.

When suffering from bulimia, the patient puts himself in danger with consequences such as:
Electrolyte disturbances (usually hypokalemia) due to the elimination of food from the body by vomiting, diuretics, laxatives, etc. Hypokalemia can cause fatigue, cardiac arrhythmias, kidney failure or even death; Other common complications of this condition include abdominal pain, bloating, weight gain, swelling of the arms and legs, hoarseness, chronic sore throat, broken blood vessels in the eyes, swelling of the cheeks and salivary glands, weakness and tremors. , gastroesophageal reflux disease , gastric ulcer , tooth decay , mouth pain , menstrual irregularity or amenorrhea , hair loss , constipation due to laxative abuse , dry skin , tanning , poor height growth ,...

Patients with symptoms of binge eating disorder should see a doctor immediately for treatment as soon as possible. You can get out of this situation if you follow these instructions:
Admit that you have an eating problem that you can't control; Talk to a loved one or doctor about your health condition for support; Stay away from people or places or activities that can trigger binge eating/removal of food from the body. Patients should avoid looking at fashion magazines, models, talk less about issues of diet or weight; Seek the advice of a doctor to learn how to eat again as usual, have positive thoughts about eating, and protect your health. The doctor will review the patient's medical history, perform a physical exam, and pay attention to the patient's emotions and eating habits. The doctor may also order blood tests and electrocardiogram tests to check for abnormalities in magnesium, potassium, and other substances in the body.
Psychotherapy is very important in cases of eating disorders in general, and bulimia in particular. The doctor will guide the patient to become aware of his current behavior to end the cycle of eating - removing food from the body to restore normal eating habits. Next, the patient will need to change misconceptions about weight, diet, body shape,...
The doctor will also explain to the patient about removing food from the body. such as vomiting, using laxatives, diuretics, ... have no effect on weight loss and cause many harms to health. At the same time, it is necessary to solve the patient's mental health problems such as stress, depression, anxiety disorders, ... to control the disease thoroughly.
In conclusion, bulimia can cause many dangerous consequences for health. Therefore, if the patient has signs of this condition, it is necessary to see a doctor immediately for timely treatment.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early, so that there are treatment plans for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy.
The patient's examination results will be returned to the home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.