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- $Unique_ID{BRK00419}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Can Older Women Have Bulimia?}
- $Subject{bulimia eating disorder disorders mental emotional psychological
- condition conditions diet dieting behavior behaviors young women secretive
- guilt vomiting}
- $Volume{E-23,E-26}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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-
- Can Older Women Have Bulimia?
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-
- QUESTION: You recently wrote an answer about an eating disease called
- bulimia. If you hadn't mentioned it as a disease of young girls, I would have
- thought that my wife was a sufferer of this problem. Have you ever heard of
- an older woman having bulimia?
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-
- ANSWER: The text books still call bulimia (gorging followed by regurgitation
- to control weight) a young women's disease. Cases over the age of 45 are
- rarely reported, although I have read about this situation in a woman of 56.
- It's a difficult disease to detect, for the patients are secretive and do not
- readily admit to the act, as they have considerable feelings of guilt. If you
- really suspect that your wife is suffering from this condition, medical care
- is vital. There are many causes for vomiting that may require immediate
- treatment to correct. However, when careful examination and clinical
- investigations fail to reveal the cause, the next step is psychiatric
- evaluation and care. This is a disease that has only recently, "come out of
- the closet," and it may well be that there are more sufferers among older
- patients than previously thought.
-
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-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-