Definition: Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects predominately girls and women. The onset of anorexia is typically during adolescence with the peak ages for onset being ages 14 and 18, although the eating disorder may occur anytime from late childhood into adulthood. Anorexia causes girls and women to starve themselves in order to lose weight due to a distorted body image that causes them to believe they are over weight no matter how much weight they lose.
The physical consequences of anorexia nervosa include amenorrhea, and osteoporosis or osteopenia.
Common Misspellings: anerexa, anurexa, anerexia, aurexia
