Learn about Anorexia symptoms from Consumer Reports Health.

Anorexia

What are the symptoms of anorexia?

If you have anorexia, you probably know what the symptoms are. They have been a major part of your life for months or even years. And yet, you may deny that you have a problem or think you can control it.

Here's a list of the physical signs and feelings you may have with anorexia.

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Eating disorders.
In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.; 2000.

You are very underweight for someone of your age and height. Your doctor might say that your body mass index (BMI) is too low. But you don't see why you need to put on weight.
You eat very little, if at all, or only eat food that is low in calories.
You fear putting on weight and becoming fat even though you are very thin.
You feel fat even though people tell you how thin you are.
You won't admit that you have a serious illness.
If you're female, your periods stop. This is because anorexia affects your

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormones.

Things you may do if you have anorexia

Some people keep from gaining weight by:

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Eating disorders.
In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.; 2000.

Exercising all the time
Taking diet pills
Starving themselves.

You may have tried one or all of these.

You may binge on large amounts of food, usually in secret. To avoid putting on weight you might then make yourself vomit, use laxatives or take pills that make you lose water stored in your body. Doctors call this purging. To learn more, see:

Even a healthy activity like exercising can be harmful if you overdo it.

Bingeing and purging are also seen in people with other eating disorders, such as bulimia. But there are differences between people with anorexia and people with bulimia. The main difference is that people with anorexia are very underweight. People with bulimia tend to be a normal weight. To read more see Other eating disorders.

How your body may change if you become too thin

If you've had anorexia for a long time, you may also get other symptoms. As the lack of food starts to affect your body, you may:

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Eating disorders.
In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.; 2000.

Source:
American Psychiatric Association Work Group on Eating Disorders.
Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with eating disorders (revision).
American Journal of Psychiatry. 2000; 157 (supplement 1): S1-S39.

Source:
Moses S.
Anorexia nervosa.
Available at http://www.fpnotebook.com/Psych/Eating/AnrxNrvs.htm (accessed on 12 January 2009).

Source:
Hobbs WL, Johnson CA.
Anorexia nervosa: an overview.
American Family Physician. 1996; 54: 1273-1279, 1284-1286.

⁴

Source:
American Academy of Family Physicians.
Anorexia nervosa.
April 2005. Available at http://familydoctor.org/063.xml (accessed on 12 January 2009).

⁵

Source:
Fairburn CG, Brownell KD.
Eating disorders and obesity: a comprehensive handbook.
2nd edition. Psychology Press, London, UK; 2002.

⁶

Source:
Garner DM, Garfinkel PE.
The Eating Attitudes Test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa.
Psychological Medicine. 1979; 9: 273-279.

⁷

Stop having periods if you're female
Feel tired and weak, and have aching muscles
Get dizzy spells, feel short of breath and feel your heart beating hard (get

palpitations
A palpitation is when you feel like your heart is beating very fast.

palpitations)
Have fine downy hair on your body and face
Get cold easily and often have cold hands and feet
Start to lose your hair
Get

constipated
When you're constipated, you have difficulty passing stools (feces). Your bowel movements may be dry and hard. You may have fewer bowel movements than usual, and it may be a strain when you try to go.

constipated
Feel full and sometimes get stomach pains after eating only a little food
Get

dehydrated
When you're dehydrated, you don't have enough fluid in your blood. This could be because you're not drinking enough or because you're losing water by sweating or having diarrhea.

dehydrated, which makes you feel thirsty, queasy and exhausted
Get dry, yellowish skin.

If you have severe anorexia, you may also:

Show signs of starvation, including swollen limbs (called

edema
The abnormal buildup of large amounts of fluid in cells, tissue or other spaces in the body. Edema is often seen in the feet, ankles and legs.

edema by doctors) or a slow heartbeat, which can mean your heart isn't pumping blood around your body very well. This can make you feel tired and dizzy
Sometimes shiver and not be able to stop, or have other signs of a low body temperature.

To find out more about the harmful effects of anorexia, see What anorexia can do to your body.

How your mood and emotions may change

Anorexia can cause all the physical symptoms listed above. But starving your body of food can also affect your mood and emotions. Here are some of the things that can happen.

You may have problems concentrating and it can be hard to think straight. You may find it hard to remember things.
You may feel very unhappy (depressed) and worried (anxious). Everyone feels like this once in a while, but not eating enough food makes these feelings worse.
You will probably lose interest in sex or in having a relationship
You may feel suicidal or want to hurt yourself.
You may become obsessive about certain things, like keeping clean and tidy.
You may have trouble talking to other people about how you are feeling.

The damage vomiting can do

If you make yourself vomit after you've eaten, you may have other problems. Here are some of them.

Your teeth may become discolored: This is caused by the acid in vomit taking the enamel off your teeth. Acid also causes tooth decay. Any damage to your teeth is permanent.
You may get heartburn: Vomiting all the time weakens the valve at the bottom of the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach (doctors call this tube your esophagus). If the valve is weak, it allows stomach acid to splash up into the tube, causing heartburn.
You may get rough patches of skin on your knuckles: You can get these if you use your fingers to make yourself vomit.

If you think a friend or family member may have anorexia, see Worried someone close to you might have anorexia?

Sources for the information on this page:

American Psychiatric Association.Eating disorders.In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.; 2000.

American Psychiatric Association Work Group on Eating Disorders.Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with eating disorders (revision).American Journal of Psychiatry. 2000; 157 (supplement 1): S1-S39.

Moses S.Anorexia nervosa.Available at http://www.fpnotebook.com/Psych/Eating/AnrxNrvs.htm (accessed on 12 January 2009).

Hobbs WL, Johnson CA.Anorexia nervosa: an overview.American Family Physician. 1996; 54: 1273-1279, 1284-1286.

American Academy of Family Physicians.Anorexia nervosa.April 2005. Available at http://familydoctor.org/063.xml (accessed on 12 January 2009).

Fairburn CG, Brownell KD.Eating disorders and obesity: a comprehensive handbook.2nd edition. Psychology Press, London, UK; 2002.

Garner DM, Garfinkel PE.The Eating Attitudes Test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa.Psychological Medicine. 1979; 9: 273-279.

This information was last updated on Feb 09, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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