Signs and Symptoms of Diabulimia

For type 1 diabetics, a scary new eating disorder is threatening to take the lives of their adolescent population. According to a 1997 study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, up to 30 percent of adolescent type 1 diabetics skipped their insulin shots regularly to lose weight, with little regard to their physical or mental health.

Today, this type of eating disordered behavior is called "diabulimia", a portmanteau of diabetes and bulimia. People with this condition deliberately miss their insulin shots to lose weight, and re-dose when they're on the verge of passing out. Left untreated, diabulimia can cause serious complications, including severe kidney damage, blindness, nerve damage, heart problems and even death.

If your teenager has type 1 diabetes and starts losing weight unexpectedly, watch out for these symptoms:

Beginning Signs and Symptoms of Diabulimia

- Frequent urination. It's a common symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes, caused by excess kidney function.

- Increased weakness or fatigue. Insulin helps control blood glucose, and not receiving it on a timely basis makes them more susceptible to fatigue.

- Excessive drinking. Again, it's a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes.

- Unexplained weight loss, even when your teenager is clearly eating enough. Skimping on insulin puts the body into starvation mode, which you'll commonly see in anorexia or periods of fasting.

Long Term Signs and Symptoms of Diabulimia

- Their diabetes medications aren't being refilled as often. If there's a pattern of medications lasting far longer than in previous months, it may be a symptom of diabulimia.

- Loss in muscle mass. Putting your body into starvation mode causes it to eat away at the muscles (a source of energy).

- Excess swelling in the hands or feet. This symptom is called edema, a commonly-observed symptom in anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

- High cholesterol. Untreated diabulimia raises your blood cholesterol, even if you eat right and exercise regularly.

- Reduced vision. Eventually, this can lead to blindness.

- Reduced feeling in the hands and feet. This symptom is caused by nerve damage, which may be irreversible.

What to Do if There are Signs and Symptoms of Diabulimia

If your teen displays symptoms of diabulimia, an eating disorder evaluation, preferably conducted by a eating disorder specialist with some training in diabulimia treatment, should be your next step. If it appears your teen has diabulimia, start treatment immediately. Eating disorder therapists usually recommend combining eating disorder therapy with a diabetes management program to improve your teen's success in recovery.

Sources: Rydall, Anne C., Rodin, Gary M., Olmsted, Marion P., Devenyi, Robert G., Daneman, Denis,"Disordered Eating Behavior and Microvascular Complications in Young Women with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus" (NEJM.org)