Nutrition Assessment of Nutrition-Focused Physical Findings
Nutrition assessment includes evaluation of “nutrition- related physical characteristics associated with patho- physiological states.” The data may come from a nutrition-focused physical examination, interviews, or the medical record (1). Physical symptoms of eating disorders vary from
patient to patient, depending on duration of the illness, type of eating and purging behaviors, and general physi- cal well-being. Visible physical signs of eating disorders related to malnutrition and purging are identified in the following sections. However, many patients will not show any of these signs. Patients with binge eating disorder or bulimia may seem physically “well” and at or above a “normal” weight. Patients with anorexia may not show visible signs of malnutrition until well into the course of their illness. Therefore the information presented here should be used as a guide, not as diagnostic tools.
EXTREMITIES, MUSCLES, AND BONES Overview
Table 5.1 lists selected nutrition-related physical findings in the extremities, muscles, and bones.
