DEFINITION
- Diabulimia is a word coined from two medical conditions, diabetes and bulimia.
- Diabetes describes a metabolic disease whereby a person has high blood sugar due to an inability of the body to metabolize sufficient quantity of hormone insulin
- Bulimia is an eating disorder.
- Diabulimia describes the diagnosis of an eating disorder in an individual with type 1 diabetes.
- A diabetes patient cannot produce insulin in their body.
- So they need insulin injections to permit their body to process glucose and avoid
- An individual suffering from diabetes deliberately turns the insulin intake into a weight control mechanism by:
- Reducing the prescribed dosage
- Entirely omitting their insulin dosage
- By rendering the insulin inactive through certain manipulations.
- Females of all ages are twice likely to fall the victim when they have type 1 diabetes.
- Women who withhold insulin to lose weight die an average of 10 years earlier than women without an eating disorder.
CAUSES
Explicit to diabulimia, countless factors impact the increased risk of developing an eating disorder alongside type 1 diabetes.
- The inception of insulin treatment is often accompanied by weight gain particularly among adolescents, this change often times can be physically and emotionally uncomfortable and can result in the manipulation of insulin intake for weight loss.
- To effectively manage type 1 diabetes, dietary constraints and meal formulations are important. This can create a toxic concentration on food.
- Depression and anxiety are among the common psychological effects of having to deal with type 1 diabetes, they are also among the factors that prompt an eating disorder.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The warning signs and symptoms of diabulimia are both emotional and physical
Emotional Symptoms include
Increase disregard of diabetes management
Depression or anxiety
Constant fear of being fat due to insulin injections
Anxiety about body image
Strict food rules
Withdrawal from friend and family
Rigorous exercise
Fear of low blood sugar
Physical symptoms include
Yeast infection
Lack of menstruation
Fatigue
Unexplained weight loss
Dry hair and skin
Blurry vision
Vomiting
Frequent thirst and urination
Low sodium and potassium
Slow wound healing
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
DIAGNOSIS
- It is common for diabulimia patient to go undiagnosed for many years as they simply fool their diabetes educator.
- To diagnose bulimia in a type 1 diabetes patient, the healthcare provider should carry out Haemoglobin A1c test
- Haemoglobin A1c test is a type of blood test that is used to check and monitor people with diabetes.
- A 7% Haemoglobin level in a type 1 diabetes patient is considered high and may indicate a drop in insulin intake.
- A type 1 diabetes patient that admits a regular intake of insulin but with a high Haemoglobin level is considered to have diabulimia.
TREATMENT
A different approach and hard work can be implemented when dealing with behavioural pattern and managing triggers. To handle the issue associated with diabulimia one needs to employ the help of multiple professionals that has deep knowledge of the eating disorder. The patients might need to see an endocrinologist, a nutritionist who has multiple knowledge of diabetes and eating disorder and a mental health professional with experience in dealing with such cases. In other light, group therapy and family-based therapy are another great approaches to handling such diabulimia cases. By joining a group therapy program as recommended by a mental health care professional, the patient can get the needed support from other people going through diabulimia. Family-based therapy involves the whole family support, this can be helpful for a parent with kids dealing with diabulimia.