Featured Medical education topic: Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating that impairs health or psychosocial functioning. The disorders include anorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa. In the United States, 28.8 million people suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their lives. For various reasons, many cases are likely not to be reported; eating disorders are often thought to be associated with “skinny, white, affluent girls,” and there are some populations that are less likely to be diagnosed and treated.  Serious medical complications can result from starvation and persistent purging, including cardiac complications, osteoporosis, dental erosion, dysmenorrhea, depression resulting in suicide, etc.  It is important for healthcare professionals to be able to effectively screen and identify these patients to provide better management and refer patients when appropriate.

Learning Objectives:

1. Cite the epidemiology and pathogenesis of eating disorders

2. Recognize and differentiate eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive disorder, binge eating, bulimia nervosa, pica and rumination disorder

3. Effectively screen for, evaluate, diagnose and manage eating disorders

4. Demonstrate an awareness of the medical complications and management, course of illness, morbidity, and mortality

5. Integrate awareness of gender, age, cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic factors

If your medical staff needs an update on eating disorders, consider contacting our office to book a speaker at 877-505-4777 or info@speakersnetwork.com.

References:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.22846