What are the risks of purging?

Frequent purging can cause dehydration. This leads to weak muscles and extreme fatigue. It can also throw your electrolytes out of balance and put strain on your heart. This can cause an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and in some severe cases, a weakened heart muscle and heart failure.

What are the three health consequences of purging?

Cardiac complications (irregular heartbeat and heart failure stemming from electrolyte imbalances such as potassium, sodium, and chloride) Dehydration. Edema (stemming from periods of purging cessation) Ulcers, pancreatitis.

Can Cigarettes cause eating disorders?

Attempting to lose weight through nicotine use can lead to much more problematic issues, including eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

What health problems does bulimia cause?

Bulimia can permanently damage your stomach and intestines, causing other problems like constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome. Hormonal problems. Reproductive issues, including irregular periods, missed periods, and fertility problems are common side effects when you have bulimia.

How does bulimia affect the brain?

By studying the brain scans of women with and without bulimia, researchers have discovered that their brains react differently to food cues. They found that, in women with bulimia, there is less blood flow in a part of the brain that is linked to self-thinking.

Can bulimia cause lung problems?

While lung problems are a lesser-known side effect of bulimia, bulimic behaviors can certainly damage the lungs. The main risk to the lungs comes from frequent vomiting. This behavior can cause lung aspiration.

How long can you live with bulimia?

Roughly 50% of women will recover from bulimia within ten years of their diagnosis, but an estimated 30% of these women will experience a relapse of the disorder. These behaviors can wreak havoc on the body both in the short-term and the long-term.

Why does smoking take away hunger?

Cigarette Smoking and Eating Disorders Nicotine, the main component of cigarettes, is thought to release neurochemicals in the brain such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which work to suppress appetite and facilitate weight loss [2].

How does bulimia affect the heart?

Women hospitalized with bulimia were more than five times more likely to have heart attacks and more than six times more likely to have coronary artery disease. They were also almost seven times more likely to develop hardening of the arteries.

What are the risks of purging disorder?

Risks of Purging Disorder. Purging by vomiting is extremely concerning behavior because it carries numerous medical risks ranging from metabolic disturbances, electrolyte imbalances that could lead to heart attack, dental problems, esophageal tears, and swollen salivary glands.

What are the health problems caused by cigarette smoking?

Cigarette smoking and the use of tobacco products can cause health problems in children and teens. Over time, these can include the serious health problems discussed above, which might start at even younger ages. One of the most serious problems is nicotine addiction, which often leads to long-term tobacco use as kids get older.

What is purging in an eating disorder?

In the context of eating disorders, purging behaviors are used to prevent weight gain or promote weight loss. (1) Self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, and diuretic abuse are the most common methods of purging used in those with disordered eating and eating disorders.

Can purging disorder be diagnosed in individuals who are underweight?

Because of the current diagnostic system, which prioritizes the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, purging disorder specifically cannot be diagnosed in individuals who are underweight. Individuals who are underweight and engage in purging would instead be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, binge/purge subtype.