ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 explores the medical consequences of extreme underweight and recommends that such patients begin care in a highly expert medical setting. Dysphagia refers to an inability to swallow normally, increasing the risk of aspiration, meaning ingestion of saliva and food or drink into the lungs rather than into the stomach. This can cause deadly pneumonia. Expert speech language pathology assessment is recommended. Autophonia refers to a muffled or echoing sound in the ears due to loss of fat that keeps the inner ear, or Eustacian tube, shut. It often co-occurs with lagophthalmos, in which the eyes sink back into the skull sufficiently that the lids no longer touch during blinking or sleeping, which risks corneal scarring and causes symptoms of photophobia (light sensitivity) and itchy, dry eyes. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that can cause severe abdominal pain and elevation of blood lipase levels. Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) syndrome occurs when the duodenum becomes trapped between the aorta and SMA, causing a mechanical obstruction that leads to severe pain and vomiting. Acute gastric dilatation can occur when the stomach enlarges dangerously either due to obstruction or severe gastroparesis. Abnormal vaginal bleeding can be caused by an ulcer in the vagina. Finally, these patients can become remarkably weak and carry a high risk for falling.
