Bulimia: the binge eating syndrome

Bulimia occurs in roughly half of obese and anorexic patients. A recent study found 19% of female and 5% of male college students to be bulimic. Binge eating usually comes to the physician's attention from problems associated with purging measures--diuretics, laxatives, or self-induced postprandial vomiting--used by one out of ten bulimic patients. Continuous vomiting causes parotid enlargement, sore throat, spontaneous regurgitation, and severe electrolyte imbalance. We report a case illustrating the bulimic's distorted body image, review alternative treatment methods, and suggest needed areas of research, particularly those elucidating the relationship between bulimia and affective disorders.