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| Anorexia nervosa - archive |
Anorexia or anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that causes significant weight loss, distorted body image, and anxiety about food. It is not always easy to recognize this disease, even by people with this disorder themselves, and diagnostic tools exist to help Determining whether a person has anorexia and determining the treatment plan for him, we learn about the tests to diagnose anorexia nervosa in the "Check yourself in" series.
Diagnosis of anorexia nervosa
According to my dr, in non-emergency situations, the process of diagnosing anorexia usually begins with a thorough initial evaluation by a doctor. During this evaluation, the doctor will take the person's medical and psychological history, including their family history, and perform a complete physical examination that may include:
Asking about diet history, including the foods the person ate, their eating habits, thoughts about food, etc.
Questions about body image and weight loss history
Height and weight measurements
Comparisons with growth charts by age
Discuss overeating behaviors, including using laxatives, diet pills, or nutritional supplements to lose weight.
Review any medications the person is currently taking.
Questions about the date of the menstrual cycle for women.
Inquire about a family history of eating and feeding disorders.
Discussion about mental health (mood, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts), including a family history of substance use disorders or mental disorders.
Check vital signs, including heart rate, temperature and blood pressure.
Look at the skin and nails.
Listen to the heart and lungs.
The doctor may also make a referral to a psychiatrist. Eating and nutritional disorders are often caused by mental illness problems.
To meet the criteria for anorexia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5 ), the following must be met over a period of at least three months
Significant food restriction resulting in a significant decrease in body weight in the context of age, gender, growth trajectory and physical health (below the normal/expected minimum).
An intense fear of being overweight or obese, or persistent behavior that interferes with being overweight.
Discomfort with body weight or shape, or self-esteem affected by body weight or shape, or continued lack of awareness of the risk of low body weight.
Behaviors that make it difficult or prevent you from maintaining a healthy weight: These behaviors can include restricting food intake, intense exercise to “resist” food, self-induced vomiting, misuse of medications such as laxatives or diuretics, Or insulin, or enemas.
Has an intense fear of obesity or being overweight: This fear can persist even when their body weight is too low for their health. They may display body-checking behaviors such as frequently weighing or measuring themselves and frequent "mirror checks."
Other examinations
Certain tests may be done to rule out other health conditions that could be causing weight loss and other symptoms, or to check for problems that may have arisen as a result of anorexia.
These may include:
-Blood tests.
Complete blood count ( CBC ).
Checking albumin levels (a liver protein)
Kidney function tests
Liver function tests
Measurement of total protein
Thyroid function tests
- urine analysis
Some metabolic functions can be measured with a urine test.
Urinalysis also looks at color
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