KOZHIKODE: A 19-year-old student hailing from Meruvambayi in Kannur died due to anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder with complex mental, behavioural and physical symptoms, including intense fear of gaining weight, while under treatment at Thalassery Cooperative Hospital.
The woman, who had been under ventilator support for the past four days, died on Saturday. The deceased, Sreenanda, was a first-year degree student of Pazhassiraja NSS College, Mattannur.
Relatives said that she had not been eating enough food for the past one year as she was over concerned that she would gain weight.
Dr Nagesh Prabhu of the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital who had treated her said that she had been under treatment at the hospital for 10 days.
“When she came to the hospital, her blood pressure and pulse were very weak. Also, her blood sugar was in the 40-50 level and the electrolyte level was very low. The internal organs, including stomach and intestine, too had sustained damage due to very low intake of food,” he said.
Dr Prabhu said that the condition had a mental health aspect as well but when the patient was brought to the hospital there was no scope for undergoing psychiatric treatment as her condition had worsened by then.
He said that she was bedridden when she was brought to the hospital and so could not assess her weight but added that she was thoroughly underweight.
