Purging behaviors like vomiting and abusing laxatives reduce electrolytes and fluids in your body. Your tissues respond by holding onto every drop of liquid they can access, which can look like swelling to you. [6] This is a known and severe complication of bulimia.
Can bloodwork tell if you have an eating disorder?
A variety of laboratory tests and bloodwork may be needed to determine the correct eating disorder diagnosis and assess the appropriate level of care for an affected individual. The laboratory tests will evaluate the following types of factors: Blood sugar levels.
What labs are abnormal with bulimia?
LABORATORY ABNORMALITIES The electrolyte levels are most likely to be affected. Hypokalemia, hypochloremia, hyperphosphatemia, and metabolic alkalosis are common, especially in lower-weight bulimics.
Can anorexia cause elevated liver enzymes?
HealthDay News — For adults with severe anorexia nervosa (AN), elevated liver enzymes are relatively common and are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and hypoglycemia, according to research published online in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Can doctors tell if you have anorexia?
Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose anorexia, a healthcare provider may use various diagnostic tests, such as blood tests, to rule out any medical conditions that could cause weight loss and to evaluate the physical damage weight loss and starvation may have caused.
Can anorexics have normal blood results?
It is common for bloods to be normal in eating disorders. In fact for some they are normal when critically ill with low heart rate, low blood pressure etc..
Does bulimia show in blood tests?
There aren’t any laboratory tests to specifically diagnose bulimia. Your healthcare provider may order tests to see how bulimia has affected your health.
Can bulimia cause low white blood count?
Health Consequences of Bulimia It can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances which can lead to severe medical consequences such as: Damage to the brain, heart, and other vital organs. Increased risk of illness due to decreased white blood cell count.
Can anorexia cause low platelets?
Platelet distribution width values significantly correlated with the disease duration and rate of body weight loss in the anorectic patients. Anorexia nervosa in adolescents is associated with a decrease in PLT along with an increased PDW, which may be an indicator of dysregulated thrombopoiesis.
Can anorexia cause high iron levels?
Despite presumably reduced iron intake, we have observed and confirmed that raised ferritin concentration in the absence of infection/inflammation is quite common in patients with anorexia nervosa.
What is the hallmark of anorexia nervosa?
What are the hallmarks of anorexia nervosa? The core psychological feature of anorexia nervosa is the extreme overvaluation of shape and weight. People with anorexia also have the physical capacity to tolerate extreme self imposed weight loss. Food restriction is only one aspect of the practices used to lose weight.
What eating disorder is caused by low sodium levels?
The most frequent electrolyte imbalances seen in anorexia are hyponatremia (a low concentration of sodium ions in the bloodstream) and hypokalemia (a low concentration of potassium ions).
Does starvation increase liver enzymes?
Although most cases are caused by refeeding syndrome (1-3), persistent starvation can also cause an exacerbation of liver enzyme levels (4-6).
What does starvation do to your liver?
Starvation causes hepatocyte injury and death leading to a rise in aminotransferases. Malnutrition-induced hepatitis is common among individuals with AN especially as body mass index decreases. Acute liver failure associated with coagulopathy and encephalopathy can rarely occur.
How does AN eating disorder affect your liver?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder predominantly affecting young women and characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and becoming fat. Liver injury with mild elevation of hepatic enzymes is a frequent complication, and steatosis of the liver is thought to be the major underlying pathology.
How do doctors know you have an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are diagnosed based on signs, symptoms and eating habits. If your doctor suspects you have an eating disorder, he or she will likely perform an exam and request tests to help pinpoint a diagnosis. You may see both your primary care provider and a mental health professional for a diagnosis.
What qualifies as an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are behavioral conditions characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function.
What is the main difference between anorexia and anorexia nervosa?
“Anorexia” describes a simple inability or aversion to eating, whether caused by a medical problem or a mental health issue. “Anorexia nervosa,” however, is the name for the clinical eating disorder, the main symptom of which is self-starvation.
Which eating disorder is most associated with electrolyte imbalance?
In anorexia nervosa, under-nutrition and weight regulatory behaviours such as vomiting and laxative abuse can lead to a range of biochemical problems. Hypokalaemia is the most common electrolyte abnormality.
Why do anorexics have low potassium?
Inpatients with anorexia nervosa presumably have a higher risk of developing hypokalemia because they suffer from severe malnutrition and are refed [21], in which the insulin surge resulting from glycemia during the refeeding process causes a substantial intracellular uptake of potassium and phosphorus [20].
What is bulimia face?
When a person has been engaging in self-induced vomiting regularly and they suddenly stop engaging in the behaviour, their salivary glands in front of their ears (cheeks) may begin to swell. This makes their cheeks look swollen.
How do doctors test for bulimia?
Request blood and urine tests. Request a test that can identify problems with your heart (electrocardiogram) Perform a psychological evaluation, including a discussion of your attitude toward your body and weight.
Can bulimia cause metabolic acidosis?
Laxative abusers can develop severe constipation on withdrawal of laxatives, related to damage to the myenteric plexus. The typical electrolyte abnormalities associated with bulimia are hypokalemia and metabolic acidosis.
Do anorexics have low WBC?
An estimated one-third of anorexic patients have mild anemia (low red blood cell count). Leukopenia (low white blood cell count) occurs in up to 50 percent of anorexic patients.
Can starvation cause low white blood cell count?
Essentially, faced with limited caloric resources, the body cannot sustain normal bone marrow function. As a result, one of the red flags to watch out for in standard blood tests is a low white blood cell count.