Anorexia nervosa

The term anorexia nervosa was first coined in 1874. It is also known as anorexia nervosa. It is characterized by long-term anorexia and significant weight loss. The age of onset is more than 10 years, and it is more common in female adolescents. If not treated in time, it can lead to severe malnutrition and extreme failure, affecting the physical and mental health and development of adolescents. Causes of mental disorders that have not been fully identified are characterized by long periods of excessive dieting or refusal to maintain lean body mass, which can lead to sharp weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic and endocrine disorders, and can be life threatening in severe cases. More common in adolescence, the prevalence of women is much higher than that of men. He can recover with proper treatment. Clinically, it should be distinguished from wasting caused by physical diseases. Because the patient does not lack appetite, not anorexia, but actively refuses to eat, the term anorexia nervosa does not match. Incidence frequency varies from time to time. The incidence rate in western industrialized countries is relatively high. The average annual incidence rate in the 1970s was 1.6 cases per 100,000 people. Longitudinal surveys show that the incidence has increased in the past 20 to 30 years. Mostly women, men account for only 4 to 6% of the total number of cases. The prevalence of anorexia nervosa among girls aged 12 to 18 in boarding schools in the UK is 0.5%. The age of first onset is generally between 10 and 30 years of age, and about 80% of cases start between 13 and 20 years of age. Surveys in the United States, Britain and other countries show that the incidence of this disease is relatively high among wealthy upper and middle-level families, and in occupations that emphasize slimness, such as ballet dancers. No epidemiological data are available in China.

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