Disseminated intravascular coagulation complicating gastric perforation in a bulimic woman

The authors report the case of a 43-year-old woman who presented with an acute abdomen and in shock after a bulimic episode. The fatal outcome in this case was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The death represents the fifth reported in the literature among bulimic or anorexic patients who sustained a gastric perforation. This is the first documented case of DIC in a bulimic patient who died. The other reported cases are reviewed, and the findings are compared with those in this case.