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Kerala teen dies after following extreme ‘hot water’ diet for months, weighed only 24 kg
A Kerala girl, 18, died from anorexia after surviving on a diet of only hot water for months, weighing just 24 kg.
An 18-year-old from Kerala died after she tried to survive only on diet of hot water for months. Doctors at a Thalassery hospital said that the teen was suffering from the eating disorder anorexia and died weighing just 24 kg.
Sree Nanda, who died on Sunday, was heavily influenced by online weight loss advice and was surviving on water. She had stopped eating solid food for almost six months and was undergoing treatment for anorexia.
Dr Nagesh Manohar Prabhu, a physician at Thalaserry Co-operative Hospital told news agency ANI that when the teen was brought to the hospital 12 days ago, she had to be admitted to the ICU.
“She was hardly 24 kgs, bedridden. Her sugar levels, sodium, and BP were low. She was out on ventilator support. But her condition did not improve, and she succumbed,” he said
What is anorexia?
Anorexia is a type of eating disorder causing people to be obsessed about weight and what they eat. Affected by this condition, a person can take up drastic measures to lose weight even when it becomes dangerous for their survival.
The condition occurs when a person's body image becomes distorted leading to an unwarranted fear of being overweight. To restore health, both physical and mental health needs to be restored including therapy to help with self-esteem.
Hid food given by family
The teen's family claimed that her condition persisted for the last five to six months and she hardly ate anything.
When her family gave her food, she hid it from them and got rid of it, chosing only to drink water. When she started becoming frail, her family took her to a hospital where doctors advised her family to get a psychiatric consultation for her.
Two months before her death, she was taken to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for her conditions. When she was admitted to the hospital two weeks back, her blood sugar dropped, and she had breathing issues and was rushed to the ICU where she passed away.
(With inputs from ANI)
