Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating condition that can become life-threatening if left untreated. The eating disorder is characterized by the inability to stay at or above the minimum body weight considered healthy for your height and age. Excessive exercise is one of the symptoms associated with the condition and may increase your risk of serious health issues due to complications from inadequate and poor eating habits including electrolyte imbalance and dangerous heart rhythms, according to PubMed Health.
Anorexia nervosa, or anorexia, usually begins in childhood or adolescence and those with the disorder are more likely to be female than male, with 95 percent of known anorexics being women, reports Cedars-Sinai. One of the difficulties of the disorder is the inability of the person with the disorder recognizing there is a problem. People with anorexia avoid visiting health care professionals and resist treatment, often making it difficult for those who care about the person with the disorder to provide help.
Complications
Because many people with anorexia have a distorted body image, a symptom of the disorder may be intense exercise. However, as the condition progresses, other health factors begin to make such intense physical activity a health hazard. In addition to electrolyte imbalances and dangerous heart rhythms, the person with anorexia may be dehydrated, malnourished, have bone weakening and seizures, relates PubMed Health.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis -- where bones become weak and brittle -- is often termed a silent disease because it has no outward symptoms, reports University of Maryland Medical Center. Anorexia is a known cause of this condition; risk factors include being very thin, being female, and having low estrogen levels -- another complication of anorexia. The person with anorexia may be an increased risk of bone fracture due to the development of osteoporosis. A fracture could occur spontaneously or during an episode of intense physical activity, depending on the severity of bone weakening.
Bottom Line
Treatment for this eating disorder is required to change the symptoms, including excessive exercise, of the condition. Because so many people with the condition are unable or unwilling to recognize there is a problem, advice for exercise precautions is likely to go unheeded. Cedars-Sinai advises that 10 to 20 percent of people with anorexia die due to the impact the condition's complications have on the body. It is important that the person with anorexia see a health care provider both to evaluate overall health and to begin treatment and intervention to save the person's life.
