Medical Complications: Adults (Pregnancy)

Introduction

Medical complications of starvation and of purging are common, can affect virtually every organ system, and may become life threatening. Denial of disease severity and resistance to treatment, so common in patients with eating disorders, can contrast starkly with the severe physical manifestations of their disease. However, medical clinicians who care for adults, both in community and in hospital settings, rarely receive much training in eating disorder medicine. As a result, patients may be told they are fine by well-meaning medical practitioners, who encounter relatively normal blood tests and vital signs for a young, athletic person. On the other hand, abnormal test results may initiate rounds of unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming testing, contributing to the “over-medicalization” of patients with eating disorders. That is, a primary medical diagnosis and medical treatment are pursued independent of the nutritional deficiencies that actually caused the problem,...