How to Use Blood Tests to Detect Bulimia

Bulimia is a serious eating disorder in which a person makes himself vomit after eating in an attempt to avoid gaining weight. It's difficult to directly diagnose the condition, although you can use blood tests to detect anemia and other effects of bulimia.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Use Blood Tests to Detect Bulimia

1. Talk to a doctor about getting a complete blood analysis. If you have a son or daughter who you believe may be bulimic, you may be able to have the doctor perform the blood work under the guise of a routine physical exam. This approach could work for you if you can't speak to your child about your fear of his bulimia.
2. Examine the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Bulimia can cause various kinds of anemia, which can be seen as a deficiency of one or more type of cell. All the tests can be usually be done with a single sample of the patient's blood.
3. Look at the body's iron and folic acid stores to be sure anemia isn't caused by a deficiency. People with bulimia often have low iron levels because their bodies do not have enough time to pull and process nutrients from food.
4. Use a second blood sample to detect for electrolyte and protein deficiencies that can result from bulimia. These tests are a bit more specialized than blood cell counts, so you may need to have them done at a hospital. The combination of a blood cell examination and analysis of the body's mineral stores and protein levels should be enough for a doctor to diagnose bulimia and rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.
5. Get help for bulimia, whether you or your loved one are diagnosed with it. Blood tests may provide the scientific backing that a bulimic person needs to face the facts of her condition. Treatment typically involves a direct approach to correct any nutritional problems, like vitamin deficiencies, and psychological treatment to cope with the emotional effects and causes of the eating disorder.

Tips & Warnings

• A urinalysis may help doctors determine if the patient has any liver or thyroid damage as a result of long-term bulimia.
• Physical examinations are another way that doctors can check for bulimia. Patients usually fluctuate in weight and body shape during bouts of bulimia.
• Bulimia can often be accompanied by periods of anorexia.
• If blood tests detect a serious potassium deficiency, then the patient may need immediate intravenous supplements in order to prevent heart failure.