The two most common eating disorders (generally attributed more to women than men) are anorexia and bulimia. And although both are very similar, anorexia is due more to an inadequate diet which in turn translates into a deficient caloric intake for those who suffer from it, and bulimia is when the patient vomits shortly after eating, which impedes both digestion such as absorption of food.
Bulimia- (bulimia nervosa) is when the patient eats large amounts of food (often too quickly) followed by self-inflicted vomiting, ingestion of laxatives, stimulants, or diuretics, and exercise (before the food can be digested) as a way to eliminate the body of its intake.
Although the condition has been around for many years (the first recorded case was by a British psychiatrist in 1979), bulimia is still considered a relatively new disease. And for this reason, there is still a lack of data on the prevalence of the disease, mainly due to the difficulty of detecting it in those who suffer from it.
However, what little is known about the disease indicates that it is more likely to be found in women from low-income families, athletes, dancers and gymnasts. With the last three being attributed to the victim trying to achieve the perfect body.
Anorexy- (anorexia nervosa) is when the patient has an abnormal perception of body image, obsessed with having a super slim figure, resulting in fear of gaining weight. This usually occurs with unreasonable/unhealthy food restriction, often resulting in rapid weight loss for the patient.
The probability that a woman is affected by anorexia is estimated to be around 1%, while for a man it is less with only 0.1%, however, this is when the age range is between 15 and 20 years for both.
It is strange that anorexia actually means a loss of appetite, however anorexic people do not have this loss and only seem to have it. As food intake is often restricted by self-inflicted.
Similarities between the two –
one. More common in women than in men.
two. Bad breath.
3. Cold hands and feet due to fat loss, low blood pressure, and poor circulation.
Four. irregular menstruation
5. Poor hair growth (telogen effluvium).
6. Poor nail growth, sensitive and painful (paronychia).
7. severe depression
8. Skin problems such as: fungal infections on the hands (interdigital intertrigo), itching all over the body (pruritus), rashes, acne, dermatitis, discoloration of the hands, toes, and face (acrocyanosis) , stretch marks (striae distensae), mottled skin (livedo reticularis), and wounds in the mouth (angular stomatitis).
Differences between the two –
one. People with anorexia don’t eat, while people with bulimia do, although people with bulimia try to purge directly afterwards (most commonly by vomiting). With anorexia sufferers, the latter is not the case.
two. People with anorexia have the perception that their body is considerably overweight, while people with bulimia do not; however, they DO use extreme methods to achieve the super skinny body they desire.
