Did Karen Carpenter's death to Anorexia Nervosa Open Up Eyes? Do You Know Anyone With This Disease?

Though anorexia nervosa has a surprisingly high mortality rate, it still has serious consequences. As in the case of Karen Carpenter, it can lead to serious cardiac problems, which have proven to be fatal. Anorexia can cause a decrease in blood pressure and body temperature, hair loss, loss of menstrual cycle, and a decrease of protein in the blood. Bulimia can cause ulcers, hernias, a dependence on laxatives, and the loss of tooth enamel. When the body is deprived of food, it must look elsewhere for nutrients, and eventually begins feeding on muscle protein. The heart muscle weakens, and this leads to irregular heart rhythms and congestive heart failure. Additionally, anorexia causes an imbalance of electrolytes which causes cardiac abnormalities. In some cases, the bodies of anorexics have digested their own nervous systems. In the end, five to ten percent of the victims of anorexia die within 5 to 10 years of suicide or from depression caused by the illness, malnutrition, and heart problems.

I know a gal who is Bulimic & it breaks my heart to see the toll it's taken on her mentally & physically. Nothing anyone says to her sinks in so all I can do is be her friend & be there for her. Karen Carpenter's death saddened me deeply. There are many more Karens in this world & some can be reached via therapy & some can't. I pray especially for those who can't. I watched a special on tv some years ago about a woman who opened a home for anorexics/bulimics & it was so sad to see those women in the condition they were in. They just don't realize what happens to their bodies & that's all a part of the illness.

You are correct,it actually can kill just as it had Karen,but these people with this mental illness do not comprehend it,because they are just that,mentally ill and it need of help,fast.

She may be the first ever popular person who died from complications from it.