| Bulimia nervosa: Overview | 3787.00000000000 | Bulimia nervosa: Overview | Bulimia nervosa: Overview | B | English | Psychiatry | Teen (13-18 years) | NA | NA | Conditions and diseases | Teen (13-18 years) | NA | | 2019-03-25T04:00:00Z | | | | | | 10.1000000000000 | 54.1000000000000 | 723.000000000000 | | Health (A-Z) - Conditions | Health A-Z | <p>Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a serious mental health disorder where someone binges on food and then purges it. Learn about the signs and symptoms, causes and diagnosis for BN.<br></p> | <h2>What is bulimia nervosa? </h2><p>Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder where a person struggles with eating a clearly large amount of food over a short time in an out-of-control way. Because they worry about gaining weight or feel shame about the binge, they will then engage in unhealthy, and sometimes dangerous, compensation, usually through purging. For instance, they may try to vomit, take pills, diet to extremes or do too much exercise. </p><p>In addition to bingeing and purging, someone with BN feels unhappy about their appearance and wants to lose weight. When someone has BN, they often do not seek help on their own because they may be embarrassed by or ashamed of their eating patterns. With treatment, however, they can often get better.</p> | | <h2>Key points</h2><ul><li>Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder and mental health condition where a person has a distorted body image and a fear of gaining weight. </li><li>The condition involves both binge eating (consuming a lot of food in an uncontrolled way over a short time, often with guilt or shame) and purging to try to counter the binge or lose weight. </li><li>Bulimia nervosa arises from a mix of genetics, stressful life events and psychological and social factors.</li><li>See a doctor if you experience episodes of binge eating or purging, pain in your body or begin to vomit blood.</li></ul> | | <h2>What are the signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa?</h2><p>BN has a range of signs and symptoms, but sometimes people may not realize that the disorder is causing them.</p><div class="symptoms-container" id="symp-bulimia">
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<span class="card-title">Eating quickly large amounts of food in a short time</span>
<p>A person with bulimia may eat faster than expected in an effort to eat a lot of food in a short time.</p></div>
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<span class="card-title">Eating when nobody is around</span>
<p>Binge eating has links with guilt and shame. If someone has bulimia, they might eat in the middle of the night or when no one else around and may hide food wrappers around the home.</p>
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<span class="card-title">Disappearing immediately after a meal</span>
<p>Someone with bulimia tends to purge or otherwise compensate for their eating. Purging can include vomiting or taking pills such as laxatives to affect how the body responds to food.</p>
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<span class="card-title">Becoming more irritable</span>
<p>Because their brains are starved of nutrients, a person with bulimia might not think clearly. They may become irritable and have emotional outbursts and sudden mood swings.</p>
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<span class="card-title">Puffy face</span>
<p>Because of their repeated purging, someone with bulimia may develop swollen parotid glands (just in front of their ears). When these glands are swollen, they can make cheeks look puffy.</p></div>
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<span class="card-title">Calloused knuckles</span>
<p>If someone with bulimia engages in regular purging, their knuckles can get calloused. This is from repeatedly putting their fingers down their throat to induce vomiting. </p>
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<span class="card-title">Dramatic changes in weight</span>
<p>Someone with bulimia often has average weight, but this can rise and fall quickly due to bingeing and purging cycles.</p>
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<span class="card-title">Broken blood vessels in eyes or face</span>
<p>Repeated attempts to vomit puts pressure on the small blood vessels in the face and eyes. When someone retches regularly over a short time, these small blood vessels can start to burst.</p>
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<span class="card-title">Dizziness, confusion and weakness</span>
<p>Inappropriate intake of nutrition and fluids, along with purging, may interfere with a person’s electrolyte levels and cause them to feel dizzy, confused or weak.<br></p>
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<span class="symp-subtitle">Common Signs</span></h3></div><h3>Physical signs of bulimia nervosa</h3><p>Some physical signs include:</p><ul><li>puffiness of the face, especially around the cheeks</li><li>callouses or marks on the knuckles</li><li>broken blood vessels around the eyes and face</li><li>bad breath because of vomiting</li><li>dizziness</li><li>vomiting blood</li><li>digestive problems</li><li>confusion, weakness or fatigue due changes in important electrolytes such as potassium or sodium</li><li>thinning hair</li><li>tooth decay</li><li>potentially dangerous and sometimes fatal changes in heart rate</li></ul><h3>Behavioural signs of bulimia nervosa</h3><p>Common behavioural signs include:</p><ul><li>having an average weight but with obvious fluctuations (increases and decreases) because of bingeing and purging</li><li>eating large amounts in a short time</li><li>eating quickly</li><li>hiding food wrappers around the house</li><li>eating in the middle of the night</li><li>disappearing to the bathroom after eating</li><li>not wanting to eat with others</li><li>becoming more irritable or having mood swings and outbursts</li></ul> | <h2>What causes bulimia nervosa?</h2><p>The exact causes of BN are unknown, but they are often a mix of genetics, stressful life events and psychological and social factors. </p><h3>Genetics</h3><p>Having a relative who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder may be a risk factor for developing BN.</p><h3>Stressful life events</h3><p>A person may develop BN after experiencing stress or a <a href="/Article?contentid=3781&language=English">trauma</a>. This stress or trauma may cause them to feel out of control and they may get into a cycle of trying to control their eating patterns.</p><h3>Psychological factors</h3><p>Certain personality traits, such as increased impulsivity, may make someone more likely to develop BN. Many people with BN describe having dieted in an extreme way or even having had <a href="/Article?contentid=3785&language=English">anorexia nervosa</a> when they were younger. BN is also more common in people who may also struggle with anxiety, depression or substance use.</p> | | <h2>How is bulimia nervosa diagnosed?</h2><p>There is no specific medical test to diagnose an eating disorder such as BN. Instead, a doctor will arrive at a diagnosis after asking you questions and examining you. </p><p>The doctor will usually ask about your eating and body image (how you feel about your body) and will check your weight, blood pressure and heart rate. They may also order blood tests to check your levels of sodium or potassium to see if you are at risk of the complications of an eating disorder, such as dizziness, weakness or fatigue. They will also often order an ECG, a test that looks at how your heart is working.</p> | | | | | <h2>When to see a doctor about bulimia nervosa</h2><p>It’s important to see a doctor if you:</p><ul><li>have out-of-control eating episodes or binges</li><li>are purging by making yourself throw up after you eat or taking pills to alter how food affects your body</li></ul><p>It is especially important to see a doctor if you experience pain in your body, especially chest or stomach pain, or you begin to vomit blood.</p> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <h2>At SickKids<br></h2><p>SickKids has an eating disorder program that treats children and teens who are struggling with symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. For more information on our program visit:
<a href="http://www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/eating-disorders-program.html">www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/eating-disorders-program</a></p> | <h2>Resources</h2><p>
<a href="http://www.nedic.ca/">NEDIC – National Eating Disorder Information Centre</a> (Canada)</p><p>
<a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/">NEDA – National Eating Disorder Association</a> (United States)</p><p>American Academy of Pediatrics –
<em>
<a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Is-Your-Teen-at-Risk-for-Developing-an-Eating-Disorder.aspx">Eating Disorders in Children</a> </em></p><p>
<a href="https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/">B-EAT – Beating Eating Disorders</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>
<a href="https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/">Kelty Eating Disorders</a> (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, BC Children's Hospital)</p> | <h2>References</h2><p>Practice Parameters for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders - J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015;54(5):412–425.</p> | | | | | | | | | |
