Citation

Mehler PS, Anderson K, Bauschka M, Cost J, Farooq A. J. Eat. Disord. 2023; 11(1): e16.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s40337-023-00742-x

PMID

36759897

PMCID

PMC9909152

Abstract

People with anorexia nervosa (AN) tend to shy away from engaging in typical primary care provider relationships in order to avoid detection. Therefore, they may seek care for their medical concerns through a local emergency department (ED). Inherently, AN is associated with a litany of medical complications, which become more prevalent as the severity of their eating disorder increases. Notwithstanding the typical young age at the onset of AN, no body system is immune to these medical complications. Thus, ED providers may need to pursue a medical diagnosis in order to explain presenting symptoms in people with AN. In addition to the medical issues, AN is also a serious mental illness with high mortality rates, including deaths by suicide. Therefore, ED providers also need to be familiar with relevant mental health issues for these people.

Language: en

Keywords

Electrolyte; Emergency room; Hypoglycemia; Medical complications; Pain