In the survey carried out among patients with an eating disorder in The Lancet Psychiatry, there was an observation of the fact that 32 % of patients had an irregularity in the concentration of electrolytes in their blood, and this significantly increased the risk of death from any cause. The article is titled “Adverse outcomes and mortality in individuals with eating disorder-related electrolyte abnormalities: a population-based cohort study of the province of Ontario in Canada.
The research completed by the team of researchers from ICES and The Ottawa Hospital has revealed that individuals with electrolyte abnormalities are at risk for developing other serious health issues such as chronic kidney disease, bone fracture, bowel obstruction and acute kidney injury.
They entail various electrolytes most recurrently potassium and sodium that can alter human functioning. One picks up the fact that people with eating disorders are likely to present with abnormal electrolyte levels as a consequence of behavior’s like purging, the use of laxatives or simple dehydration.
‘These might indicate that we add mention of electrolyte changes in the criteria defining the severity of eating disorders,’ Said by Dr Marco Solmi from Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Medical Director, Regional Eating Disorder Program of the Ottawa Hospital.
The researchers selected 6087 patients, 13 years old and above with eating disorder diagnosis, who had an electrolyte level test within 1 year from their diagnosis, based on their hospitalization or emergency department record in Ontario, Canada.
Another independent predictor of hospitalization and other chronic health complications was electrolyte imbalance, but not with the risk of infection or heart disease event.
After analyzing the health records from 2008 to 2019 researchers found that the majority of participants met DSM–IV–TR criteria for eating disorders. The mortality rate was found to be 16% in for the patients with electrolyte disturbances and for the patients with normal electrolyte levels showed 6% mortality rate
Lastly, the researchers propose the development of the findings towards the formation of the score grid that describes the severity of the eating disorder in patients; the criterion exists in practice today, and it is based on a patient’s BMI and the period between binge episodes.
Abnormalities in the electrolyte levels may be present in patients who do not meet the conventional criteria for diagnosing an eating disorder and could possibly enhance the management of such patients and thus lower their mortality or unfavorable consequences.
Reference:
ICES. Abnormal electrolyte levels in people with eating disorders may increase the risk of death, poor health outcomes
