The two most common eating disorders (generally attributed more to women than men) are anorexia and bulimia. And although both are very similar, anorexia is due more to an inadequate diet which in turn results in a poor caloric intake for the patient, and bulimia is where the patient vomits shortly after eating which prevents both digestion and absorption of food.

Bulimia – (bulimia nervosa) is when the victim ingests large amounts of food (often too quickly) followed by self-inflicted vomiting, the ingestion of laxatives, stimulants or diuretics, and exercise (before the food can be digested) as a way to eliminate the body of your intake.

Although the condition has been around for many years (the first recorded case was by a British psychiatrist in 1979), bulimia is still considered a relatively new disease. And for this reason, many data on the prevalence of the disease are still lacking, mainly due to the difficulty of detecting it in a patient.

However, what little is known about the disease indicates that it is more likely to be found in women from low-income families, athletes, dancers, and gymnasts. The last three are attributed to the patient trying to achieve the perfect body.

Anorexy – (anorexia nervosa) is where the victim has abnormal perception of body image, obsessed with having a super slim figure, resulting in fear of weight gain. Usually this occurs with unreasonable / unhealthy food restriction, often resulting in rapid weight loss for the patient.

The probability that a woman is affected by anorexia is estimated to be around 1%, while in the case of a man it is less than only 0.1%, however, this is when the age range is 15 to 20 years for both.

It is strange that anorexia actually means a loss of appetite, however anorexic people do not have this loss and only seem to have it. As food intake is usually restricted by self-infliction.

Similarities between the two –

1. More common in women than men.

two. Bad breath.

3. Cold hands and feet due to fat loss, low blood pressure, and poor circulation.

Four. Irregular menstruation.

5. Poor hair growth (telogen effluvium).

6. Poor, sensitive and painful nail growth (paronychia).

7. Severe depression

8. Skin problems such as: fungal infections of the hands (interdigital intertrigo), itching all over the body (pruritus), rashes, acne, dermatitis, discoloration of the hands, toes, and face (acrocyanosis ), stretch marks (striea distensea), mottled skin (livedo reticularis) and mouth wounds (angular stomatitis).

Differences between the two –

1. Those with anorexia do not eat, while those with bulimia do, although those with bulimia attempt to purge directly after the ward (most commonly by vomiting). With those who suffer from anorexia, the latter is not the case.

two. Those who suffer from anorexia have the perception that their body is enormously overweight, while those who suffer from bulimia do not; however, they do use extreme methods to achieve the super slim body they desire.