- Approximately 90 percent of people with anorexia are female
- An anorexic patient will weigh 15 percent or more under the norm for their height and weight.
- Anorexia nervosa can affect men and women of all ages, races, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
- Because typically seen in the female the male anorexic is often misdiagnosed.
- The history of anorexia nervosa begins with early descriptions dating from the 16th century and 17th century and the first recognition and description of anorexia nervosa as a disease in the late 19th century.
- People with anorexia will severely limit their dietary intake even though wanting to eat and being very hungry out of fear of becoming fat.
- The term anorexia nervosa was established in 1873 by Sir William Gull, one of Queen Victoria's personal physicians. The term is of Greek origin: a (α, prefix of negation), n (ν, link between two vowels) and orexis (ορεξις, appetite), thus meaning a lack of desire to eat.
- Anorexia has an incidence of between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 persons per year.After a very small meal an anorexic will feel bloated due to extreme shrinkage of their stomach.
- Studies have shown that 50 percent of all anorexics will suffer from bone thinning or otherwise known as osteoporosis.
- In severe cases of anorexia nervosa hospitalization may be required.
- Anorexia has an incidence of between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 persons per year and an average prevalence of 0.3 percent using strict criteria for diagnosis
- It is estimated that only 4 out of every 10 person afflicted with anorexia nervosa will make a full recovery.
Anorexia nervosa facts
