Gastrointestinal transit is delayed in patients with bulimia

Abstract

Orocecal transit time was measured in 13 patients with bulimia and in 15 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Diagnosis was made according to DSM-III. Bulimic patients had a signficantly longer transit time. Patients with a history of anorexia nervosa (n = 4) had a longer transit time than patients without such a history (n = 8). These results indicate that gastrointestinal transport remains disturbed when anorexia nervosa develops into bulimia. The indicator intermittent dieting did not show significant correlations with transit time.