A 22-year-old woman presents to the officebecause of feeling extremely self-conscious about her body. She describes having various periods of strict dieting interspersed with days when she binges on candy bars and dessert foods. She notes that although she feels some relief immediately after a binge, she feels extremely distressed afterwards and has started making herself throw up. She is engaging in binge-purge episodes about 5 to 6 times per week. Her BMI is 21 kg/m2. Routine laboratory evaluation shows a potassium level of 3.1 mEq/L. Physical examination is most likely to show which of the following abnormalities?

Question

A 22-year-old woman presents to the officebecause of feeling extremely self-conscious about her body. She describes having various periods of strict dieting interspersed with days when she binges on candy bars and dessert foods. She notes that although she feels some relief immediately after a binge, she feels extremely distressed afterwards and has started making herself throw up. She is engaging in binge-purge episodes about 5 to 6 times per week. Her BMI is 21 kg/m2. Routine laboratory evaluation shows a potassium level of 3.1 mEq/L.  Physical examination is most likely to show which of the following abnormalities?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Hypokalemia in an otherwise healthy young adult with a normal BMI and preoccupation with body size is concerning for self-induced vomiting associated with bulimia nervosa.  Common physical examination findings in bulimia nervosa include tachycardia, hypotension, painless bilateral parotid gland swelling, calluses or scarring on the dorsum of the hand, and erosion of dental enamel.

A 22-Year-Old Woman Presents to the Officebecause of Feeling Extremely