(HealthDay News) -- Many Americans with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis receive no treatment or inadequate treatment, a new survey from the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) shows.
The poll also revealed a link between severe psoriasis and low income.
Psoriasis is a non-contagious disease in which the immune system causes skin to grow at an accelerated rate.
The surveys, conducted from 2003 to 2005, found that nearly 40 percent of people with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis were receiving no treatment, and that 57 percent of people with severe psoriasis, and 73 percent of those with moderate psoriasis, were receiving topical treatment only. Over half of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were not receiving treatment that meets American Academy of Dermatology guidelines.
Those guidelines say that people with chronic moderate to severe psoriasis are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, including biologic agents. However, many of those patients were receiving topical treatment alone, according to the survey data.
"Psoriasis is not a cosmetic disease but rather a chronic inflammation condition that can have a profound negative impact on a person's ability to function," Dr. Mark Lebwohl, chairman of the NPF's medical board, said in a prepared statement. "It's important for patients to openly discuss with their dermatologist how the condition may be impacting them, so that together they can determine the most appropriate treatments."
The survey data also revealed a possible association between psoriasis and low income -- 21 percent of people with severe psoriasis had a low household income (less than $30,000 per year), compared to 13 percent for people with mild psoriasis.
"These are the first data to show a relationship between psoriasis severity and household income," Liz Horn, NPF director of research, said in a prepared statement. "Psoriasis is a serious disease that can significantly affect a person's life by interfering with everyday activities, including work."
The survey findings were to be presented Friday at a meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Washington, D.C.
As many as 7.5 million people in the United States have psoriasis, according to the National Institutes of Health.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about psoriasis.
Minggu, 04 Februari 2007
Global Warming Poses Health Threats
(HealthDay News) -- Global warming not only poses significant threats to the Earth's ecology, it may also unleash unprecedented health risks, experts say.
On Friday, an international panel of scientists released a report predicting that global warming due to greenhouse-gas emissions will continue for centuries, no matter what's done to check pollution. The result will be killer heat waves, devastating droughts, rising sea levels and fiercer storms.
Saying it was acting with 90 percent confidence, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations said carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by human activity are the main cause of the global warming that has taken place since 1950.
Michael A. McGeehin, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, said, "There are some health effects from climate change that we are comfortable in predicting. We will see an increase in the intensity, duration and frequency of heat waves around the world. We will see more severe precipitation events, both heavy rainfall and severe droughts."
That flooding and drought with bring attendant health problems, McGeehin said. "There are health effects secondary to flooding, such as contaminated water supplies, that could result in the spread of infectious diseases," he said.
Droughts, which are becoming more common and longer lasting, can lead to starvation and the destruction of entire ways of life, particularly in regions -- such as sub-Saharan Africa -- that are least equipped to deal with such catastrophes.
McGeehin also foresees the possible spread of mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis. "As the climate warms, we may see a change in the range of vector-borne diseases," he said.
Dr. Paul Epstein, associate director of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, said the effects of climate change are already apparent, as some of these mosquito-borne diseases are spreading to new areas as the world warms and precipitation increases.
"There is a whole range of infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever and water-borne diseases whose range is restricted by temperature," Epstein said. "We are seeing malaria changing in its altitude. It is moving into higher altitudes in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
"In the very places where glaciers are retreating, we are also seeing a lengthening of the season of transmission of the disease in parts of Africa," Epstein added. In Africa, there has been an increase in Rift Valley Fever, which affects animals and people, as well as cholera, he said.
Epstein noted that even in the United States, ticks, mosquitoes and other insects that carry disease -- such as West Nile Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Lyme disease -- are already spreading to areas once considered too cold for them to survive.
In addition, increasing air pollution from the continued burning of fossil fuels will cause higher rates of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, McGeehin said.
"With warming, there are also increases in pollen and mold spores," Epstein added.
The best way to deal with the new health threats posed by a changing climate is to improve on the methods currently in place to combat disease, McGeehin said.
"Everything we are seeing as likely coming out of climate change from a public health standpoint, particularly in the developed nations, can be dealt with by improving what we already do," McGeehin said. "What we are seeing is things we have seen before. So, if we improve the public health infrastructure in the United States and other developed countries and improve surveillance and people's access to health care, we can blunt a lot of the effects of this," he said.
In response to the threat of climate change, the CDC is creating an "action plan" to address the health risks posed by global warming, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month.
Of particular concern, McGeehin said, are developing nations, where health-care systems are under-equipped to deal with the changes that global warming might bring.
"Climate change will affect, at a much greater level, the populations that are least able to deal with it," he said. "In the developed world, it will affect the poor more than the rich. In the developing world, it will affect the nations least able to respond to these stresses and these threats."
Public health efforts can only do so much, Epstein said, adding that "the real driver of climate" is the burning of fossil fuels.
"Ultimately, public health officials and physicians all have to be bringing attention to the politicians and call for clean energy -- it's fundamental for public health. Our energy is fundamental to air pollution, acid rain to its impact on our health and the health of our environment," he said.
"Without changing that, we are going to have a very polluted, sick future," Epstein said.
More information
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can tell you more about health and global warming.
On Friday, an international panel of scientists released a report predicting that global warming due to greenhouse-gas emissions will continue for centuries, no matter what's done to check pollution. The result will be killer heat waves, devastating droughts, rising sea levels and fiercer storms.
Saying it was acting with 90 percent confidence, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations said carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by human activity are the main cause of the global warming that has taken place since 1950.
Michael A. McGeehin, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, said, "There are some health effects from climate change that we are comfortable in predicting. We will see an increase in the intensity, duration and frequency of heat waves around the world. We will see more severe precipitation events, both heavy rainfall and severe droughts."
That flooding and drought with bring attendant health problems, McGeehin said. "There are health effects secondary to flooding, such as contaminated water supplies, that could result in the spread of infectious diseases," he said.
Droughts, which are becoming more common and longer lasting, can lead to starvation and the destruction of entire ways of life, particularly in regions -- such as sub-Saharan Africa -- that are least equipped to deal with such catastrophes.
McGeehin also foresees the possible spread of mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis. "As the climate warms, we may see a change in the range of vector-borne diseases," he said.
Dr. Paul Epstein, associate director of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, said the effects of climate change are already apparent, as some of these mosquito-borne diseases are spreading to new areas as the world warms and precipitation increases.
"There is a whole range of infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever and water-borne diseases whose range is restricted by temperature," Epstein said. "We are seeing malaria changing in its altitude. It is moving into higher altitudes in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
"In the very places where glaciers are retreating, we are also seeing a lengthening of the season of transmission of the disease in parts of Africa," Epstein added. In Africa, there has been an increase in Rift Valley Fever, which affects animals and people, as well as cholera, he said.
Epstein noted that even in the United States, ticks, mosquitoes and other insects that carry disease -- such as West Nile Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Lyme disease -- are already spreading to areas once considered too cold for them to survive.
In addition, increasing air pollution from the continued burning of fossil fuels will cause higher rates of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, McGeehin said.
"With warming, there are also increases in pollen and mold spores," Epstein added.
The best way to deal with the new health threats posed by a changing climate is to improve on the methods currently in place to combat disease, McGeehin said.
"Everything we are seeing as likely coming out of climate change from a public health standpoint, particularly in the developed nations, can be dealt with by improving what we already do," McGeehin said. "What we are seeing is things we have seen before. So, if we improve the public health infrastructure in the United States and other developed countries and improve surveillance and people's access to health care, we can blunt a lot of the effects of this," he said.
In response to the threat of climate change, the CDC is creating an "action plan" to address the health risks posed by global warming, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month.
Of particular concern, McGeehin said, are developing nations, where health-care systems are under-equipped to deal with the changes that global warming might bring.
"Climate change will affect, at a much greater level, the populations that are least able to deal with it," he said. "In the developed world, it will affect the poor more than the rich. In the developing world, it will affect the nations least able to respond to these stresses and these threats."
Public health efforts can only do so much, Epstein said, adding that "the real driver of climate" is the burning of fossil fuels.
"Ultimately, public health officials and physicians all have to be bringing attention to the politicians and call for clean energy -- it's fundamental for public health. Our energy is fundamental to air pollution, acid rain to its impact on our health and the health of our environment," he said.
"Without changing that, we are going to have a very polluted, sick future," Epstein said.
More information
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can tell you more about health and global warming.
Furor Over Anorexic Models Hits U.S. Fashion Week
(HealthDay News) -- As the U.S. fashion season kicks off Friday in New York City, the headline-grabbing controversy over dangerously thin models will link arms with haute couture on the runway.
The furor began in earnest last year with the deaths of two young models from anorexia nervosa and has since escalated, prompting fashion-show bosses in Europe to ban girls under a certain body mass index from working the shows.
In mid-January, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) issued its own "Health Initiative," stressing voluntary measures to "create an atmosphere that supports the well-being of these young women."
But that may not be enough to protect models -- and the millions of girls and women who emulate them, critics charge.
Too often, "guidelines are things that people just hang on a wall," said Lynn Grefe, chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association.
While she's pleased that the CFDA has "opened a dialogue" on the issue, Grefe said she's waiting to see how these voluntary rules get implemented.
"Right now, I'm not sure how they are going to handle it if they have an anorexic girl in the shows," Grefe said. Given that most eating-disorder sufferers hide the problem, "How are designers going to know about it? And who's going to tell the girl?" she said.
The issue gained renewed prominence with the eating-disorders deaths in 2006 of two young models -- Luisel Ramos, of Uruguay, and Ana Carolina Reston, of Brazil, who was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 88 pounds when she died. Reston reportedly lived on a diet of apples and tomatoes in the weeks before her death.
The outcry over these deaths led to a move in September by government officials in Madrid to ban models with a body-mass index (BMI) of less than 18 from performing in city-sponsored fashion shows.
Milan followed suit, with a similar ordinance passed by government officials last month to restrict runway models to BMIs of 18.5 or more. (For reference, a 5-foot-9 woman with a BMI of 18.5 would weigh 125 pounds). Italian designers have also agreed to demand that all models submit medical proof that they don't suffer from an eating disorder as a condition to work.
The CFDA, which recently appointed designer Diane von Furstenberg as its president, hasn't gone that far. Instead, the group is asking the fashion industry to get better educated about the signs of eating disorders, to have models who are "identified" as having a disorder seek medical help, to ban models under the age of 16 from all runway shows, and to have healthy snacks available backstage at all times.
The council does not advocate any BMI cutoff for runway models. According to its Jan. 12 statement, the group's initiative "is about awareness and education, not policing. Therefore, the [CFDA] committee is not recommending that models get a doctor's physical examination to assess their health or body mass index to be permitted to work."
A representative of the CFDA said the group isn't offering further comment on the issue until after a public meeting in New York City on the problem, scheduled for Feb. 5.
But, BMI-linked policing of future New York shows may still come. On Jan. 31, a Democratic New York state assemblyman, Jose Rivera, said he would propose that a state advisory board be formed to craft guidelines to prevent eating disorders among models and performers under the age of 18. The measure may get support from the state Senate's majority leader, Republican Joseph Bruno, who last year revealed that his granddaughter suffers from anorexia nervosa.
New York City councilwoman Gale Brewer has also said that she plans to introduce a resolution on Friday to keep models with BMIs under 18.5 off the runways. "Women are encouraged to mutilate their bodies in the industry," Brewer told the New York Sun on Thursday.
Health experts fault new guidelines
Experts on eating disorders say tougher measures by the fashion industry are desperately needed.
"I feel the new [CFDA] guidelines really fell short," said Dr. Harry Brandt, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt Health System in Towson, Md. His clinic sees more than 800 inpatients a year and treats thousands more for anorexia and bulimia on an outpatient basis.
"I believe that within the industry there has been an implicit encouragement of dramatic measures to maintain a certain body weight for models," he said. "The fashion industry needs to take steps to ensure the health of their employees and, in a broader societal context, to take appropriate measures to see to it that we are providing realistic images to girls."
Images in fashion and gossip magazines of ultra-thin models and celebrities do have an impact on girls' self-image, Brandt said. "We see it in our work with patients on a daily basis," he said. "Patients describe the intense pressure they feel to be thin, to be considered successful and attractive in our culture."
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), more than 10 million American girls and women may be affected by eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, which carry the highest death risk of any psychiatric illness. And a 2000 British study drew a strong link between women viewing rail-thin models in magazines and an increased tendency for eating disorders.
One fashion industry insider agrees these images can do harm.
"The majority of women look at magazines, and they do not see themselves reflected," said Emme, a plus-size supermodel who made fashion history in the 1990s as the first full-figured model ever awarded a major cosmetics contract (Revlon). She's also a long-time NEDA ambassador, calling for more industry action on eating disorders.
The New York-based model said much more needs to be done to empower young models to retain control of their own bodies. "They are so impressionable, and you don't know where these pressures are coming from," Emme said. While she does not support a BMI cutoff, she does support stronger industry self-regulation. "I want us to say, 'That is too thin, and, no, you will not walk in my show,' " she said.
Emme said she was shocked recently by photos sent to her of especially emaciated models appearing in a glossy fashion layout. "I was horrified to look at these pictures," she said, describing the models as "bags of bones dressed in haute couture."
"I was astonished, too, that these girls were booked, that there were obviously people around to see them, that they had to be fitted for the clothes. So, all of this had to be approved," Emme said. "And these girls are skeletal."
Some skinny models born that way, editor says
Of course, not every model has an eating disorder, and the fashion world does have its defenders. Memsor Kamarake, a former stylist and modeling agency executive, is now fashion director at Vibe magazine. Speaking from the Paris runway shows this week, he said he's against any BMI threshold for models.
"At the end of the day, just making sure that models are healthy should be the first priority," Kamarake said. "I think that when we get into this territory of 'this certain body type is right, this isn't,' that it opens the door to something a bit scary."
He also believes that many super-thin models are genetically geared to stay skinny and healthy. He cited the example of a model used in a recent Vibe photo shoot, a willowy 16-year-old named Chanel Iman.
"I saw her on the set, and she had a plate of food and ate all day," Kamarake said. "We actually were teasing her about it, but she said, 'I eat like this all the time.' "
So, Kamarake added, "if [a model] has accomplished something, why should we not include her? Because her body type makes people uncomfortable?"
But the Center for Eating Disorders' Brandt called that argument "a cop-out."
"Yes, there are exceedingly thin people who are perfectly healthy and normal -- I'm the first to acknowledge that weight falls on a bell curve of distribution," Brandt said. "But the reality is that, in the modeling industry, there are case examples of very famous models who've come forward only later to say, 'I had to starve myself to maintain my appearance.' "
That's why the CFDA's pledge to help models who are "identified" as having a problem won't work, Brandt said. "Nobody goes to their employer and says, 'Oh, by the way, I have a significant health problem, and I probably shouldn't be doing this job.' That's just not the way it works."
Brandt believes models below a certain BMI should undergo mandatory medical reviews to check for eating disorders -- a relatively easy diagnosis, he said.
All of this means that models, rather than clothes, could face the toughest scrutiny during the New York shows, which conclude Feb. 9.
"I really hope that this is not just a case of 'let's satisfy the public by saying we are going to educate people,' " Emme said. "I want to know what else they are going to do. We are going to find out next week where we are with designers really self-regulating."
But Kamarake appeared dubious about industry-wide change.
"I can't imagine a designer who's doing shows now who isn't thinking about the controversy," he said. But other heated issues have also come and gone, he noted.
"Remember the whole controversy about fur use? I'm sure designers think about it, but there's still a lot of lynx around. There's still a lot of chinchilla out there."
More information
For more on eating disorders, visit the National Eating Disorders Association.
The furor began in earnest last year with the deaths of two young models from anorexia nervosa and has since escalated, prompting fashion-show bosses in Europe to ban girls under a certain body mass index from working the shows.
In mid-January, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) issued its own "Health Initiative," stressing voluntary measures to "create an atmosphere that supports the well-being of these young women."
But that may not be enough to protect models -- and the millions of girls and women who emulate them, critics charge.
Too often, "guidelines are things that people just hang on a wall," said Lynn Grefe, chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association.
While she's pleased that the CFDA has "opened a dialogue" on the issue, Grefe said she's waiting to see how these voluntary rules get implemented.
"Right now, I'm not sure how they are going to handle it if they have an anorexic girl in the shows," Grefe said. Given that most eating-disorder sufferers hide the problem, "How are designers going to know about it? And who's going to tell the girl?" she said.
The issue gained renewed prominence with the eating-disorders deaths in 2006 of two young models -- Luisel Ramos, of Uruguay, and Ana Carolina Reston, of Brazil, who was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 88 pounds when she died. Reston reportedly lived on a diet of apples and tomatoes in the weeks before her death.
The outcry over these deaths led to a move in September by government officials in Madrid to ban models with a body-mass index (BMI) of less than 18 from performing in city-sponsored fashion shows.
Milan followed suit, with a similar ordinance passed by government officials last month to restrict runway models to BMIs of 18.5 or more. (For reference, a 5-foot-9 woman with a BMI of 18.5 would weigh 125 pounds). Italian designers have also agreed to demand that all models submit medical proof that they don't suffer from an eating disorder as a condition to work.
The CFDA, which recently appointed designer Diane von Furstenberg as its president, hasn't gone that far. Instead, the group is asking the fashion industry to get better educated about the signs of eating disorders, to have models who are "identified" as having a disorder seek medical help, to ban models under the age of 16 from all runway shows, and to have healthy snacks available backstage at all times.
The council does not advocate any BMI cutoff for runway models. According to its Jan. 12 statement, the group's initiative "is about awareness and education, not policing. Therefore, the [CFDA] committee is not recommending that models get a doctor's physical examination to assess their health or body mass index to be permitted to work."
A representative of the CFDA said the group isn't offering further comment on the issue until after a public meeting in New York City on the problem, scheduled for Feb. 5.
But, BMI-linked policing of future New York shows may still come. On Jan. 31, a Democratic New York state assemblyman, Jose Rivera, said he would propose that a state advisory board be formed to craft guidelines to prevent eating disorders among models and performers under the age of 18. The measure may get support from the state Senate's majority leader, Republican Joseph Bruno, who last year revealed that his granddaughter suffers from anorexia nervosa.
New York City councilwoman Gale Brewer has also said that she plans to introduce a resolution on Friday to keep models with BMIs under 18.5 off the runways. "Women are encouraged to mutilate their bodies in the industry," Brewer told the New York Sun on Thursday.
Health experts fault new guidelines
Experts on eating disorders say tougher measures by the fashion industry are desperately needed.
"I feel the new [CFDA] guidelines really fell short," said Dr. Harry Brandt, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt Health System in Towson, Md. His clinic sees more than 800 inpatients a year and treats thousands more for anorexia and bulimia on an outpatient basis.
"I believe that within the industry there has been an implicit encouragement of dramatic measures to maintain a certain body weight for models," he said. "The fashion industry needs to take steps to ensure the health of their employees and, in a broader societal context, to take appropriate measures to see to it that we are providing realistic images to girls."
Images in fashion and gossip magazines of ultra-thin models and celebrities do have an impact on girls' self-image, Brandt said. "We see it in our work with patients on a daily basis," he said. "Patients describe the intense pressure they feel to be thin, to be considered successful and attractive in our culture."
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), more than 10 million American girls and women may be affected by eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, which carry the highest death risk of any psychiatric illness. And a 2000 British study drew a strong link between women viewing rail-thin models in magazines and an increased tendency for eating disorders.
One fashion industry insider agrees these images can do harm.
"The majority of women look at magazines, and they do not see themselves reflected," said Emme, a plus-size supermodel who made fashion history in the 1990s as the first full-figured model ever awarded a major cosmetics contract (Revlon). She's also a long-time NEDA ambassador, calling for more industry action on eating disorders.
The New York-based model said much more needs to be done to empower young models to retain control of their own bodies. "They are so impressionable, and you don't know where these pressures are coming from," Emme said. While she does not support a BMI cutoff, she does support stronger industry self-regulation. "I want us to say, 'That is too thin, and, no, you will not walk in my show,' " she said.
Emme said she was shocked recently by photos sent to her of especially emaciated models appearing in a glossy fashion layout. "I was horrified to look at these pictures," she said, describing the models as "bags of bones dressed in haute couture."
"I was astonished, too, that these girls were booked, that there were obviously people around to see them, that they had to be fitted for the clothes. So, all of this had to be approved," Emme said. "And these girls are skeletal."
Some skinny models born that way, editor says
Of course, not every model has an eating disorder, and the fashion world does have its defenders. Memsor Kamarake, a former stylist and modeling agency executive, is now fashion director at Vibe magazine. Speaking from the Paris runway shows this week, he said he's against any BMI threshold for models.
"At the end of the day, just making sure that models are healthy should be the first priority," Kamarake said. "I think that when we get into this territory of 'this certain body type is right, this isn't,' that it opens the door to something a bit scary."
He also believes that many super-thin models are genetically geared to stay skinny and healthy. He cited the example of a model used in a recent Vibe photo shoot, a willowy 16-year-old named Chanel Iman.
"I saw her on the set, and she had a plate of food and ate all day," Kamarake said. "We actually were teasing her about it, but she said, 'I eat like this all the time.' "
So, Kamarake added, "if [a model] has accomplished something, why should we not include her? Because her body type makes people uncomfortable?"
But the Center for Eating Disorders' Brandt called that argument "a cop-out."
"Yes, there are exceedingly thin people who are perfectly healthy and normal -- I'm the first to acknowledge that weight falls on a bell curve of distribution," Brandt said. "But the reality is that, in the modeling industry, there are case examples of very famous models who've come forward only later to say, 'I had to starve myself to maintain my appearance.' "
That's why the CFDA's pledge to help models who are "identified" as having a problem won't work, Brandt said. "Nobody goes to their employer and says, 'Oh, by the way, I have a significant health problem, and I probably shouldn't be doing this job.' That's just not the way it works."
Brandt believes models below a certain BMI should undergo mandatory medical reviews to check for eating disorders -- a relatively easy diagnosis, he said.
All of this means that models, rather than clothes, could face the toughest scrutiny during the New York shows, which conclude Feb. 9.
"I really hope that this is not just a case of 'let's satisfy the public by saying we are going to educate people,' " Emme said. "I want to know what else they are going to do. We are going to find out next week where we are with designers really self-regulating."
But Kamarake appeared dubious about industry-wide change.
"I can't imagine a designer who's doing shows now who isn't thinking about the controversy," he said. But other heated issues have also come and gone, he noted.
"Remember the whole controversy about fur use? I'm sure designers think about it, but there's still a lot of lynx around. There's still a lot of chinchilla out there."
More information
For more on eating disorders, visit the National Eating Disorders Association.
Know the Signs of Eating Disorders
(HealthDay News) -- With more than half of American teenage girls and nearly a third of boys using unhealthy behaviors to control their weight, experts at the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) offer 10 tips to catch the warning signs of anorexia or bulimia:
- Dramatic loss of weight.
- Preoccupation with calorie-counting.
- Frequent use of a weight scale.
- Obsession with exercise.
- Binge eating and/or purging.
Food "rituals" -- taking tiny bites, ignoring certain food groups, rearranging food on the plate. - Eating alone, or avoiding meals altogether.
- Use of laxatives/diuretics.
- Smoking aimed at suppressing appetite.
- Frequent criticism of self as "fat," which increases despite weight loss.
NEDA experts note that the median onset of anorexia for girls is between the ages of 11 and 13, but the disease has been noted even in elementary school children.
And even though anorexia and bulimia carry the highest death rates of any psychiatric illness, a report issued Thursday by Harvard University researchers found that fewer than half of those with a history of an eating disorder said they had ever received treatment.
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