Weight restoration in a patient with anorexia nervosa on dialysis.

Author(s): Woodside DB, Colton P, Staab R, Schreiber M, Sutandar-Pinnock K, Poynter B, Sacevich T

Affiliation(s): Program for Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. b.woodside@utoronto.ca

Publication date & source: 2005-12, Int J Eat Disord., 38(4):380-2.

Publication type: Case Reports

OBJECTIVE: We report a case of weight restoration in a patient with anorexia nervosa, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis, and cardiac insufficiency. METHOD: The technical challenges and ethical issues involved in her clinical management are reviewed. Renal insufficiency is a common complication of more severe anorexia nervosa. RESULTS: Progression to renal failure, when it occurs, is most typically a terminal event. There are currently no published guidelines for monitoring the weight gain of patients undergoing dialysis. CONCLUSION: We present a case of a patient who progressed from renal insufficiency to renal failure while in treatment for anorexia nervosa, and who was ultimately successfully weight restored while on renal dialysis. Copyright 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.