Bulimia: the binge eating syndrome.
Bulimia occurs in roughly half of obese and anorexic patients. A recent study found 19% of female and 5% of male college students to be bulimic. Binge eating usually comes to the physician's attention from problems associated with purging measures--diuretics, laxatives, or self-induced postprandial vomiting--used by one out of ten bulimic patients. Continuous vomiting causes parotid enlargement, sore throat, spontaneous regurgitation, and severe electrolyte imbalance. We report a case illustrating the bulimic's distorted body image, review alternative treatment methods, and suggest needed areas of research, particularly those elucidating the relationship between bulimia and affective disorders.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications; D001828:Body Image; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000209:etiology