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Anorexia nervosa usually starts in late adolescence and is about 20 times more common in girls than in boys. This disorder is characterized by a failure to maintain normal body weight for an individual’s age and height; weight loss is at least 15 percent of the ideal body weight. Weight loss occurs because of an intense desire to be thin, a fear of gaining weight, or a disturbance in the way in which the individual sees her body weight or shape. Postmenarchal females with anorexia nervosa usually experience amenorrhea (i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual periods). Medical ...(100 of 23136 words)