Eating Disorders and GI Symptoms- Understanding the Link Between Them and How to Treat Patients
The lifetime prevalence of a woman developing an eating disorder is about 6%, and a man developing an eating disorder is about 3%. Yet, it was found that 98% of those with eating disorders experienced gastrointestinal issues as a complication of the disease and 50% were diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. The most common gastrointestinal issues were seen to be heartburn, bloating, constipation, dysphagia, and anorectal pain.
These are all facts that you could find just about anywhere. What was so interesting about this article is that it really talks about the connection into all the causes of GI distress stemming from eating disorders. For example, although the actual eating disorder can be the primary cause of a gastrointestinal disease such as irritable bowel syndrome, this article explains that the primary cause is frequently anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies that put stress on the body that eventually leads to GI issues.
This article explains that it is the dietitians job to find the triggers that will cause this anxiety and distress and try to keep it from happening the first place. They suggest using the following steps:
1) Review family and personal history of GI concerns. Clarify whether the patient's symptoms existed before or after the start of the eating disorder.
2) Identify specific GI symptoms.
3) Screen for eating disorder behaviors.
4) Consider additional causes of GI symptoms such as stress and medication use.
5) Refer patients to gastroenterology for further evaluation
-JR
Scarlata, K., & Anderson, M. (2014). Eating Disorders and GI Symptoms- Understanding the Link Between Them and How to Treat Patients. Today's Dietitian, 16(10), 14-14.
These are all facts that you could find just about anywhere. What was so interesting about this article is that it really talks about the connection into all the causes of GI distress stemming from eating disorders. For example, although the actual eating disorder can be the primary cause of a gastrointestinal disease such as irritable bowel syndrome, this article explains that the primary cause is frequently anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies that put stress on the body that eventually leads to GI issues.
This article explains that it is the dietitians job to find the triggers that will cause this anxiety and distress and try to keep it from happening the first place. They suggest using the following steps:
1) Review family and personal history of GI concerns. Clarify whether the patient's symptoms existed before or after the start of the eating disorder.
2) Identify specific GI symptoms.
3) Screen for eating disorder behaviors.
4) Consider additional causes of GI symptoms such as stress and medication use.
5) Refer patients to gastroenterology for further evaluation
-JR
Scarlata, K., & Anderson, M. (2014). Eating Disorders and GI Symptoms- Understanding the Link Between Them and How to Treat Patients. Today's Dietitian, 16(10), 14-14.
Comments
Post a Comment