Article: Eating Disorders and Gastrointestinal Disorders

Eating disorders often slip through the radar in the current health care system because of lack of knowledge of presenting signs and symptoms, weight bias, and the rarity of nutrition discussions during medical visits. There is high overlap among patients with gastrointestinal conditions and eating disorders, and the etiology of either may be unknown. The eating disorder may precede the gastrointestinal condition, or vice versa. Patients with gastrointestinal conditions should be screened for eating disorders at the onset of care, and/or when an experienced registered dietitian nutritionist suspects that the patient has disordered eating behaviors. In this article, we explain the connection between eating disorders and gastrointestinal conditions, describe how to screen for eating disorders in patients with gastrointestinal conditions, and identify critical steps to provide the best possible care for these patients.