Medical Complications of Eating Disorders

Most people with eating disorders experience medical complications ranging from mild to severe.

The most frequent medical conditions include:

Research shows that the mortality rate of individuals suffering from eating disorders is between 18 to 20% (Cavanaugh, 1999).  Moreover, the annual mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the annual mortality rate related to the combination of other causes of death for women aged 15 to 24 (Cavanaugh, 1999).  Of all the mental illnesses, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate (Sullivam 1995).  The main causes of death include cardiac and respiratory arrest, rupturing of the oesophagus, and suicide.