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Bulimia nervosa presenting as rectal purging and rectal prolapse: Case report and literature review
Author(s) -
Guerdjikova Anna I.,
O'Melia Anne,
Riffe Kris,
Palumbo Todd,
McElroy Susan L.
Publication year - 2012
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/eat.20959
Subject(s) - rectal prolapse , bulimia nervosa , irritable bowel syndrome , defecation , medicine , binge eating , rectum , eating disorders , psychology , psychiatry , surgery
Rectal prolapse, but not rectal purging (excessive finger evacuation to induce defecation), has been formally associated with eating disorders in the medical literature. We describe a young woman with bulimia nervosa and irritable bowel syndrome who used rectal purging as a method of counteracting the effects of her binge eating and who underwent two corrective surgeries for rectal prolapse in a 15‐month interval. Further research into the relationship between eating disorders, rectal purging, and gastrointestinal dysfunction is called for. © 2011 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012)