Medical Considerations and Consequences of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders may result in medical complications that affect every body system with both acute and chronic consequences. Although some medical complications may require acute medical hospitalization to manage, other complications, such as low bone mineral density, may not present until malnutrition has become chronic. It is critical for team members to be aware of the early clinical signs of malnutrition and disordered eating behaviors, as well as longer-term complications that may affect their patients. When identifying eating disorder concerns, appropriate colleagues from the medical, nutrition, and psychiatric fields can be engaged in order to collaborate on stabilizing and improving the health of patients.