Moodle at CCNM

Disordered eating behaviors can have a profound impact on digestive physiology resulting in altered motility, anatomy, digestive secretions, immunologic status, and microbial balance. These challenges contribute to the development of a number of different GI disorders, including the category of “Functional GI Disorders” which may have a prevalence up to 98% in patients with eating disorders. Many of these symptoms naturally resolve through the eating disorder recovery process, but to make matters more complex, many patients with eating disorders also had gastrointestinal concerns prior to the onset of their eating disorder. This overlap can present challenges in clinical practice and raises many questions. When should we be pursuing testing for GI symptoms? How do we ensure that our interventions do not cause harm? For conditions for which dietary modification is typically a cornerstone of treatment, when is it appropriate to include these modifications? This presentation explores these questions through presentation of research, clinical experience, and conversation.

Disordered eating behaviors can have a profound impact on digestive physiology, resulting in changes to motility, anatomy, digestive secretions, immunologic status, and microbial balance. These changes often lead individuals with eating disorders to develop any number of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), with some studies estimating a 98% prevalence of FGID in patients with an eating disorder (Boyd, et al. 2005). And to make matter more complex, the symptoms of the eating disorder itself can often be indistinguishable from the symptoms of these gastrointestinal disorders, making it difficult for clinicians to identify appropriate treatment strategies. This overlap can present challenges in the setting of a functional GI practice, and poses some difficult questions. How do we appropriately screen for and recognize patients who have eating disorders? How do we ensure that our interventions do not cause harm to these patients? Do we consider dietary modification or other cornerstones of digestive health treatments in this patient population? This presentation will explore these questions, as well as provide useful tools for clinical evaluation, management, and appropriate referrals for patients with disordered eating behavior and diagnosable eating disorders.