The most frequent eating disorders in children and adolescents are anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, pica, selective ingestion and rumination.
Although food is a basic function of the human being, from the moment of birth, people choose how and when to eat food, so it becomes a mode of communication, socialization, etc.
Most common eating disorders in children and adolescents
Anorexia nervosa
Both the Anorexia nervosa Like bulimia nervosa are eating disorders that have been presenting in ages smaller and smaller.
At present, there is a great interest in this type of disorder, since, in addition to the severity of the disease itself, it reaches In 25% of the cases, culminating in death in one of every 10 patients.
In addition, during the course of the disorder, both quality of life Of the affected minor like that of their relatives is very deteriorated.
From the age of 7-8 years, the first signs of corporal concern begin, carrying out some dietary behaviors between the 8-11 years.
Approximately 1% of the child-juvenile population present anorexia nervosa. As in the adult population, it occurs more frequently among girls.
These girls learn to attach importance to the physical through the influence of the media, their parents and classmates.
The ridicule and criticism for being overweight are a fundamental factor for girls to begin to perform maladaptive behaviors in relation to the food.
The onset of the disorder usually begins with food restriction, which is caused by the fear of gaining weight and maintained by the cognitive distortion that Develop.
These children are prohibited from eating high-calorie foods, which combine with physical exercise - in the restrictive subtype of anorexia nervosa - and Some maladaptive behaviors such as using laxatives and provoking vomiting - when it comes to Purgative-type anorexia nervosa.
Little by little, they become more demanding with the weight they originally intended to reach, so that they eat less and less food.
A necessary criterion for diagnosing anorexia nervosa is that children lose 15% of their body weight, or that they can not reach the expected weight in Depending on their age and height.
The organic damages are serious and numerous, among which are:
Vital signs-hypothermia, hypotension, and bradycardia-are reduced.
Hollow eyes.
Dry Skin.
Amenorrhea -or no appearance of menstruation in prepubertal girls- and vaginal dryness in girls.
Constipation.
Low estrogen levels - in girls - or testosterone - in boys.
With regard to psychological characteristics, parents often describe children as highly responsible, intelligent and with great Concern for pleasing others.
As the disorder progresses, they tend to become more withdrawn, spend less time with their friends and show changes in their behavior - they become more Irascible, anxious, impulsive and Decreases self-esteem -.
All this negatively affects the relationship that these girls maintain with their parents and siblings.
Bulimia nervosa
In the case of Bulimia nervosa , Children and adolescents also intend to lose weight through inappropriate behaviors.
It is estimated that between 1-3% of preadolescents and adolescents present this disorder, whose age of onset is usually slightly higher than that Presented in anorexia nervosa.
In this disorder, episodes of binge eating are typical - the child or adolescent eats a large amount of food, usually Hypercaloric content.
Binge eating occurs after a period of time in which the girl has tried to carry out a restrictive diet, which means that she feels a great Desire to eat and lose control during intake.
After bingeing, boys feel guilty and can conduct behaviors such as intense physical exercise, use laxatives, self-harm Vomiting - in the case of bulimia nervosa purgative type - or simply resort to new diets and exercise - in the non-purging subtype of Bulimia nervosa
Once the disorder is established, girls and adolescents do not perform binges only when they are hungry, but before emotions Intense that they do not know how to manage.
In this case, unlike anorexia nervosa, girls have a normative weight or slightly higher than that indicated according to their age and height.
Some of the physical damages usually suffered by girls with bulimia nervosa are:
Hypertrophy of salivary glands.
Swollen face.
Arrhythmias.
Abdominal distension.
Erosion of dental enamel and cavities.
Epigastric pain.
As this disorder occurs at a higher age than anorexia nervosa and, in many cases, girls have already left their homes of origin, There are fewer studies of family characteristics.
However, it seems to be common in these families that there is a greater number of conflicts, a high incidence of affective disorders, abuse of Alcohol among family, etc.
Pica
The pica Is a disorder in which children continuously ingest non-nutritive substances, without feeling disgust or disgust.
These substances vary according to the age of the child:
Young children often ingest paint, ropes, plaster, etc.
In adolescents, however, it is more common for them to eat animal, leaf, sand or insect droppings.
The most frequent age to present pica is usually between 2-3 years, also influencing living in an area with little environmental stimulation.
In children with delay appears to be more common, being more likely the higher the level of Mental retardation .
There also appears to be a relationship between this disorder and some of the characteristics of the parents, such as having a severe psychopathological disorder -the higher the level of psychopathology, the greater likelihood of the child developing pica-.
Although this disorder can cause problems in the body (such as infections or intestinal obstructions), it usually has a good prognosis, Referring in most cases in a natural way.
At other times, parents are required to attend a specialist to be given guidelines on how to correct this maladaptive behavior.
Rumination
Rumination is another of the eating disorders characteristic of childhood ages.
The children who present it, regurgitate the food ingested at the same time that they carry out specific corporal movements: they arch the back, they throw Head back and sometimes start the episode by inserting fingers into the mouth.
This behavior seems to provoke pleasure in the child and great discomfort in the parents.
The causes of this disorder are not known with accuracy, since there are several hypotheses:
Insufficient care by the mother, so the child seeks another type of stimulation.
It can also be explained by behavioral theories, according to which behavior is maintained by the mother's attention when Carries out this behavior.
Finally, physiological theories have also been found, which claim that there are organic causes that cause the disorder.
Rumination occurs most often in boys who have some kind of mental retardation, just as with pica.
Although in most cases spontaneous remission occurs as the age increases, it is often chronicled.
In fact, it is estimated that the mortality rate can reach 25% of cases, due to malnutrition, esophageal tear and other organic causes.
Selective Intake
It is a new disorder in which the child shows a permanent refusal to eat certain foods.
Although few studies have been done so far, it appears to be more prevalent among the male population.
This disorder is usually chronic, with few cases in which it relapses spontaneously over the years.
Because of the lack of certain nutrients, the child will exhibit a lack of energy that will negatively influence their school performance.
However, unlike anorexia and bulimia nervosa, the minor does not usually suffer alterations in his mood .
With regard to selective ingestion disorder (or selective eating), a profile has not yet been described that reflects the most Important.
However, it seems that some of them may present anxiety, some obsessive-compulsive features, social avoidance or difficulty adapting to the Changes around you.
These traits will be perpetuated in the minor, forming part of his future personality.
And you, what other eating disorders do you know about infanto-juvenile ages?
References
1. De Gracia, M., Marcó, M., & Trujano, P. (2007). Factors associated with eating behavior in preadolescents. Psicothema , 19
(4), 646-653.
2. Del Carmen Guirado, M., & Arnal, R.B. (2003). Detection of risky dietary behaviors in children aged 11 to 14 years. Psicothema , fifteen (4), 556-562.
3. Osorio, E., Weisstaub, N., & Castillo, D. (2002). Development of eating behavior in childhood and its alterations. Chilean nutrition magazine , 29 (3), 280-285.
4. Rodríguez S., J. (2009). Basic Child Psychopathology .