• Question: what happens to your stomach when you suffer from bulimia ?

    Asked by student37 to Jamie, Jodie, Kat, Mark on 24 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Katherine Davies

      Katherine Davies answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Hi

      Im not sure, but vomiting is not pleasant, so i would imagine it would weaken the stomach lining, preventing it absorbing nutrients like it should. With anorexia, the stomach shrinks preventing larger meals being eaten, hence why recovery is so hard when you have to eat 1000’s of calories a day to gain weight. I would also thought the excess acid produced in both conditions due to lack of food would be very painful.

    • Photo: Jamie Pringle

      Jamie Pringle answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Hello student37,

      This is completely out of my area; and really for medical practitioners (i.e. GPs) to answer authoratively.

      As I understand it sufferers stomach linings will get inflamed, peptic ulcers, gastroperitis (delayed emptying) and inflammation of the oesophagus (due to the stomach acid damage) occurs.

      My wife is a dentist and she unfortunately sees plenty of these cases – there is also significant tooth damage as the stomach acid dissolves tooth enamel and the sufferers teeth go black and have to be removed.

      Sufferers really need to get professional advice from medical practitioners.

      Thanks for your question.

    • Photo: Mark Hill

      Mark Hill answered on 24 Mar 2011:

      Hi student37,

      I am sorry, but this isn’t really my field. I do know that the wall of the stomach is lined with a protective mucus layer. If this is damaged, which may occur during repeated vomiting, there is a risk of damage to the lining and exposure to the hydrochloric acid digestive juices within. I don’t know if bulimics are more predisposed to stomach ulcers though.

      I am sorry that I cannot help you further.

      Good luck,

      Mark.

Comments