If you have a child or other loved one who is suffering from anorexia, you may have many different questions on your mind. One of the main questions you likely have is in regard to the potential long term effects that anorexia can have on a person, both physically and mentally. You may also be wondering how dangerous the long term effects of anorexia really are. Get to know more about the long term effects of anorexia and how dangerous they are. Then, you can be sure that you help your loved one get into the right anorexia treatment center right here in St. Louis, Missouri to help them prevent some of these long term effects.

Heart Damage

When a person is eating so little that they are losing a great deal of weight very rapidly and they become emaciated and overly thin, one of the parts of the body that actually suffers the most damage is the heart. The muscles in the heart become extremely weak because the body does not have the protein and vitamins to sustain them. This can result in serious heart disease and even total heart failure (which in turn results in death). Even if a person recovers from their emaciation and regains muscle strength, the damage to the heart tissue may be permanent and the heart may be weaker in the future. 

Infertility

Anorexia and the lack of nutrition that goes along with it can result in major hormonal imbalances in the body. For women, this can mean that they have irregular menstrual cycles for a while and then, with enough nutrient loss, they may stop menstruating altogether. This can result in infertility that may be permanent in the future. Sometimes the effects of anorexia on the reproductive system are reversible, but many anorexics who get their condition under control still experience difficulties conceiving and carrying children. 

Brain Shrinkage

The brain is an organ that is not immune to the effects of anorexia. When the body is severely malnourished, the brain tissue actually shrinks, making the brain smaller as a result. This is likely to help the body conserve oxygen and circulate it as well as any other remaining nutrients to other areas of the body in order to stay alive. However, this brain shrinkage can result in permanent cognitive impairment and a permanent drop in IQ.

Now that you know more about the long term effects of anorexia and how dangerous they can be to a person’s health, well-being, and even their intelligence, you can be sure that you help your loved one get the treatment they need at an anorexia treatment center as soon as possible.

The post is curated by Igor A. Savchuk, a medical student who also prepared a cheat sheet to prepare for USMLE.