title: Salinophagia in anorexia nervosa: case reports.
abstract: We report two cases of pathological ingestion of salt as a feature of anorexia nervosa, which we have previously termed "salinophagia." Both cases were young women with anorexia nervosa of the purging subtype and of sufficient severity to necessitate inpatient treatment. In both instances, excessive quantities of salt were ingested in the context of treatment programs requiring nutritional rehabilitation, and motivated by a wish to despoil the food and render it distasteful, to rob its ingestion of any hedonic qualities. In one instance, this behavior pattern was imitated by other patients on the unit. Having first briefly described salinophagia in 1999, the first author has received considerable correspondence from other specialists suggesting that this is not an isolated phenomenon. The issues of phenomenology and treatment are further discussed.
authors.affiliation: Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders, Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom. jmorgan@sgul.ac.uk
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Patience
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ahene
authors.forename: J Hubert
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lacey
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D010842:Pica / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary