Death due to alcoholic complications in a young woman with a severe eating disorder: A case report

Objective Recently, a good deal of attention has been focused on alcoholism and eating disorders as comorbid conditions. Early identification of biologic, psychologic, and socio‐cultural factors that contribute to comorbid alcoholism and eating disorders may improve the outcome for such patients. Method: The following case report is of a 26‐year‐old woman who developed a severe eating disorder in her early teens that was followed by alcoholism. Results: The combination of eating disorder and alcoholism in this patient led to approximately 70 hospitalizations for medical complications of her alcoholism. This paper chronicles her last few living months including her death due to alcoholic complications. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 21: 303–305, 1997.