Bulimia nervosa. How it affects children

One of the most well-known eating disorders is Anorexia Nervosa. But there is another disorder of eating behavior less known, but more frequent in adolescents, Bulimia Nervosa. Many teenagers and young adults that we see on the street or know may have bulimia. People with bulimia do not attract as m

One of the most well-known eating disorders is Anorexia Nervosa. But there is another disorder of eating behavior less known, but more frequent in adolescents, Bulimia Nervosa.

Many teenagers and young adults that we see on the street or know may have bulimia. People with bulimia do not attract as much attention as anorexics, but they also suffer a lot and may have both physical and psychological disorders. They are more frequent in women, but men can also be affected.

Symptoms of bulimia in children

The patient with bulimia is obsessed with food, and is capable of 'sticking binge', in public or in secret. It is an obsessive-compulsive type of behavior, and in its character may have features of this type, with obsessions and / or compulsions, ie, recurrent thoughts or repetitive behavior.

After the binge the child feels guilty, feels bad for having behaved like that and they tend to vomit.

Children with bulimia go unnoticed, because they maintain a normal weight. They are not usually very thin or obese, but maintain this weight for the 'purges', because they eliminate the calories they have ingested with binge eating, vomiting or doing a lot of exercise, or using laxatives, diuretics or enemas.

Repeated vomiting can cause ion changes in the body (hypochloremic alkalosis), as well as alterations in the tooth enamel and tendency to have gastroesophageal reflux, esophagitis and gastritis. A typical sign, although not observed in all patients, are the callosities on the knuckles that occur when vomiting occurs.

Treatment of bulimia in children

Treatment of bulimia requires a close psychological monitoring, with emotional and behavioral support many times throughout life.

Most patients with bulimia nervosa do not require hospital admission. Given that Bulimia Nervosa is a state of 'food chaos', which alternates periods of uncontrolled consumption of food with others of restriction, it is important the participation of the nutritionist, who draws up a controlled food consumption plan, as well as a therapist who collaborate with behavioral techniques, planned meals, records of symptoms and bingeing and purging.

Nervous Bulimia is usually cured in 50% of cases, improved by 30% and persists in 20%. Factors of good prognosis are early onset and having little time to progress, while obesity in childhood, low self-esteem and personality alterations are factors of poor prognosis.