ORIGINAL ARTICLES - DOUBLY DISABLED - DIABETES IN COMBINATION WITH ANEATING DISORDER

We present a series of patients with both an eating disorder and diabe tes mellitus and compare these to a group of nondiabetic patients from the same clinic. Significantly more of the diabetic patients had prev ious attempts at treatment for their eating disorder. A high incidence of diabetic complications was noted with clear implications, both cli nically and economically, for early intervention. The incidence of chi ldhood trauma was lower in the diabetic than the non-diabetic group. I n the majority of patients, diabetes developed before the eating disor der, suggesting that diabetes itself may provide the vulnerability and increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. Early interventio n in diabetic clinics may prevent the development of serious eating di sorders.