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Hypokalemia is one of several well-known medical complications in patients with eating disorders. Researchers from Yale University examined the frequency of hypokalemia among 945 outpatients presenting to an eating-disorders clinic with anorexia nervosa (32 percent), bulimia (83 percent), or both (18 percent). Thirty-six patients had serum potassium levels below 3.4 mmol/l, and 18 had levels below 3.0 mmol/l. About half of the 36 hypokalemic patients had bulimia alone, and half had both bulimia and anorexia. As compared with the normokalemic patients, hypokalemic patients reported more current vomiting (86 vs. 63 percent), laxative abuse (44 vs. 21 percent), and concurrent vomiting and laxative abuse (33 vs. 15 percent). Hypokalemic bulimic…