EATING DISORDERS - GUIDE TO MEDICAL EVALUATION AND COMPLICATIONS

Eating disorders lead to numerous physical complaints with signs and s ymptoms affecting nearly every organ system of the body. We review the presentation of a patient with eating disorder to the primary care gi ver or general psychiatrist, focusing on the physical manifestations o f the underlying illness. Specific complications related to laboratory findings, the gastrointestinal tract, and the endocrine system are re viewed. Algorithms for medical evaluation of these patients are also p resented.