Gastric dilatation in a girl with former obesity and atypical anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE

This case report describes a 16 year-old girl of normal weight with acute gastric dilatation due to binge eating habits.

RESULTS

Psychiatric assessment revealed a history of obesity and later atypical anorexia nervosa, but no current diagnosis of a typical eating disorder. After one month of daily binges a food excess was followed by an acute massive gastric dilatation which led to a laparotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians should be aware that abnormal eating habits may cause severe somatic complications even in patients of normal weight who are not currently diagnosed as having a typical eating disorder. Careful investigation of eating habits might have resulted in therapeutic gastric emptying at an earlier stage, thus avoiding the need for surgery in our patient.