Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Bulimia nervosa classification
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Bulimia nervosa may be classified in to two types on the basis of purging behavior into purging and non-purging types.
Classification
Classification
Two subtypes of bulimia are distinguished by the way the bulimic relieves themselves of the binge.
Purging Type
Purging type is the more common type of bulimia, and involves any of self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, tapeworms, enemas, or ipecac, to rapidly extricate the contents from their body.[1]
Non-Purging Type
Non-purging type occurs in only approximately 6%-8% of bulimia cases, as it is a less effective means of ridding the body of such a large number of calories. It involves doing excessive exercise or fasting after a binge, to counteract the large amount of calories previously ingested. This often occurs in purging-type bulimics but is a secondary form of weight control.[2]
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Yashasvi Aryaputra[2]