Review

Medical complications of bulimia nervosa

Allison Nitsch, MD, Heather Dlugosz, MD, Dennis Gibson, MD and Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine June 2021, 88 (6) 333-343; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.88a.20168

ABSTRACT

Bulimia nervosa, a mental illness 4 times more common than anorexia nervosa, is characterized by binge-eating followed by compensatory purging behaviors, which include self-induced vomiting, diuretic abuse, laxative abuse, and misuse of insulin. Patients with bulimia nervosa are at risk of developing medical complications that affect all body systems, especially the renal and electrolyte systems. Behavior cessation can reverse some, but not all, medical complications.

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  1. Allison Nitsch, MD
  1. ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
  1. Heather Dlugosz, MD
  1. Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, Cincinnati, OH
  1. Dennis Gibson, MD
  1. ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
  1. Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED⇑
  1. ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
  1. Address:
    Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, Denver Health Medical Center, 723 Delaware Street, Pav M, Denver, CO 80204; pmehler{at}dhha.org

ABSTRACT

Bulimia nervosa, a mental illness 4 times more common than anorexia nervosa, is characterized by binge-eating followed by compensatory purging behaviors, which include self-induced vomiting, diuretic abuse, laxative abuse, and misuse of insulin. Patients with bulimia nervosa are at risk of developing medical complications that affect all body systems, especially the renal and electrolyte systems. Behavior cessation can reverse some, but not all, medical complications.

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