More teenagers due to eating disorders in the hospital

More teenagers due to eating disorders in the hospital

05/01/2014

In Bremen and Lower Saxony, more and more young people have to be treated for eating disorders in the hospital. This informed the technician health insurance.

Significant increases in Bremen and Lower Saxony
As the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) announced, more and more young people in Bremen and Lower Saxony have to be treated for eating disorders in the hospital. The TK relies on the Federal Statistical Office. The data refer to children and adolescents between ten and 19 years. Accordingly, there have been significant increases in both federal states.

Girls more often affected than boys
As a TK spokeswoman told Radio Bremen, there was an increase of 273 percent, from 19 to 52 cases. In Lower Saxony it was 39 percent more. Girls and young women were affected more frequently in both states than boys. Relative to all Germany, the number of cases increased by just under 20 percent. The most common anorexia and eating-refractive addiction. The causes include slimming and unrealistic beauty ideals.

Anorexia can be life threatening
Anorexia is a serious to life-threatening disorder and must be treated in full (in-patient feeding, psychotherapy). On the physical level, malnutrition often causes a hormonal regulatory disorder on the axis of the hypothalamus, pituitary and gonads, which may manifest as irregular or absent menstruation and infertility. Other symptoms include hair loss, decreased body temperature, low blood pressure and slowed heart rate. Protein deficiency can lead to water retention, frequent vomiting and laxative abuse lead to internal dehydration and electrolyte loss. There is an increased susceptibility to infection, in later stages also depression and suicidal tendencies. (Ad)