Anorexia - Physical indicators of Anorexia Nervosa

Physical indicators of Anorexia Nervosa

has dry, yellowish skin and thinning hair;
suffers from poor health and sunken eyes;
has grown lanugo, a thin fuzz-like hair that grows all over their body as a natural physiological reaction to severe starvation that serves to keep the body warm in the absence of fat;
has fainting spells or otherwise pass out (an effect of starvation);
has amenorrhea, the absence of menstruation. Currently, the DSM-IV lists amenorrhea as a required characteristic of diagnosis, as it nearly always accompanies anorexia nervosa in females. However, while many emaciated women will never menstruate (unless they use a form of hormonal-replacement therapy), some women cease to have their menses before appreciable weight has been lost. Conversely, a small percentage of women reach weights that are quite low and still manage to menstruate regularly. Further, the eating disorders work group of the DSM is attempting to have the amenorrhea requirement removed as it makes diagnosis in males problematic. Researchers have often pointed to lack of sexual potency in males as the equivalent of female amenorrhea, but there continues to be a lack of consensus regarding this criterion.

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