Effects of treating gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa in a transgender adolescent: Lessons learned.
Patients with gender dysphoria and patients with eating disorders often experience discontent with their bodies. Several reports have recognized the co-occurrence of these two conditions, typically in adults who identify as transgender females and desire a more feminine physique. This case report, in contrast, describes a 16-year-old patient with a female sex assigned at birth who first presented with features consistent with anorexia nervosa and later revealed underlying gender dysphoria with a drive for a less feminine body shape. We discuss both the path to recognizing gender dysphoria in this patient as well as the impact of treatment on his eating disorder and overall well-being. This case is one of only a few reports describing a female-to-male transgender patient with an eating disorder and is the first to explore the effects of hormone and surgical intervention in an adolescent patient.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.
Sarah E
SE
Strandjord
Center for Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH.
Henry
H
Ng
Department of General Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
Ellen S
ES
Rome
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D000068116:Gender Dysphoria / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D063106:Transgender Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male
adolescent; anorexia nervosa; eating disorder; gender dysphoria; gender identity