​Pathology - Anorexia Nervosa

​Pathology - Anorexia Nervosa
 In order to satisfy the DSM-IV criteria, a patient has to be under 85% of their optimum body weight, have a distorted perception of their shape or weight, have an excessive fear of gaining weight, and have experienced amenorrhea for three months. In the therapeutic setting, a BMI of less than 17.5 kg/m2 is usually employed as the benchmark indicating an anorexic weight range because determining 85% of total body weight can be time-consuming. Low luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and suppression of normal hormone variations cause amenorrhea in anorexia nervosa. Anorexia can cause a number of consequences, such as osteoporosis, cachexia, cardiac arrhythmias, and even sudden death. One of these complications is lanugo, or thin body hair. The cutaneous abrasion on this patient may indicate self-induced vomiting. Anorexics may employ a variety of techniques to reach and stay below their target weight, such as bingeing, purging (eating laxatives, abusing diuretics, etc.), overexercising, and starving. Seizures, salivary gland enlargement, dental cavities, and electrolyte abnormalities—particularly hypokalemia—can all be consequences of purging. Individuals suffering from bulimia nervosa also experience purging and bingeing, but their body image is not distorted and they have a normal or high BMI.
Patients may also have body dysmorphic disorder, which is characterized by an isolated, distorted impression of a particular body portion.