Abstract

Eating disorders related to obesity

Author(s): Varsha Vaidya and Abdul Malik

Obesity is a chronic disease with multifactorial cause, associated with significant mortality and morbidity. It impacts every aspect of the patient’s life. This review discusses the eating disorders that are related to obesity. Binge eating disorder is more frequently seen in obese patients, but bulimia nervosa/disordered-eating behaviors have been included in the review as they can sometimes be associated with obesity. However, it is important to note that most patients with bulimia tend to be of normal weight or overweight. The two disorders are reviewed with diagnostic criteria, risk factors, medical complications, evaluation and treatment recommendations. There is also a comparison between the two disorders. The essential key point is that eating disorders are impulse-control disorders and are similar to addictive behaviors in some aspects. It is essential to treat a patient with obesity and eating disorders multimodally to ensure success.