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Complications of Eating DisordersAnorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Cause Multiple Medical ProblemsMillions of American women suffer from eating disorders. Many suffer in silence until they develop complications that require medical intervention.
Eating disorders—anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder—are three times more likely to occur in women than in men, with lifetime prevalence rates from 0.6 to 2.8%. The median age of onset is between 18 and 21 years. (Hudson JI, et al. The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biol Psychiatry. 2007;61(3):348-358) Diagnosis of eating disorders is often delayed, since many patients don’t consult a physician for these conditions per se, and most don’t have obvious physical signs on routine examination. Instead, patients may complain of fatigue, constipation, insomnia, dizziness, palpitations, or any number of problems that may or may not be associated with the eating disorder. It isn’t unusual for people suffering from eating disorders—particularly anorexia or bulimia nervosa—to exhibit serious complications at their first medical encounter. Stabilization of life-threatening medical complications takes precedence over treatment of the underlying psychological issues. For individuals suffering from binge-eating disorder, issues associated with obesity may cause long-term medical problems, such as knee and hip arthritis, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, or diabetes. Most complications of eating disorders will resolve when healthy eating habits are resumed and the patient attains normal body weight. Others, like dental erosions or osteoporosis, remain problematic even when the eating disorder is successfully addressed. Medical Complications of Eating Disorders
(Adapted from Williams PM, et al. Treating eating disorders in primary care. Am Fam Phys 2008;77(2):187-195) Treatment of eating disorders is a multidisciplinary task. Medical management (stabilization of medical emergencies followed by long-term care of complications), behavioral intervention (cognitive behavior therapy, family counseling, and individual psychotherapy), medication, and education are partnered in an effort to provide people with eating disorders their best chance of recovery and a healthy life expectancy.
The copyright of the article Complications of Eating Disorders in Eating Disorders is owned by Stephen Allen Christensen. Permission to republish Complications of Eating Disorders in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Dec 26, 2008 7:47 AM
Jeannie Delahunt :
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