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Adaptation to severe chronic hypokalemia in anorexia nervosa: A plea for conservative management
Author(s) -
Bonne Omer B.,
Bloch Micki,
Berry Elliot M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199301)13:1<125::aid-eat2260130115>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - hypokalemia , anorexia nervosa , medicine , anorexia , electrolyte disorder , metabolic disorder , eating disorders , psychiatry , hyponatremia
Severe hypokalemia may constitute a life‐threatening medical emergency. In the group of purging eating disorder patients, potassium blood levels tend to be chronically low while physical signs and symptoms may be absent. Nevertheless, these patients are frequently subjected to vigorous supportive treatment and often an aggressive diagnostic workup. We present a chronic purging anorexia nervosa patient in whom potassium blood levels reach a low of 1.6 mmol/L in the absence of physical symptoms. Purging eating disorder patients adapt to chronic hypokalemia. We believe the clinical/medical approach to this electrolyte disturbance in chronic eating disorder patients should be different from the approach to patients suffering from acute hypokalemia. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.