Bulimia nervosa is a more widespread eating disorder than is generally believed and widely underdiagnosed, especially in its mild forms, which can go unnoticed unless those affected seek medical/psychiatric help to deal with them.
The hallmark of bulimia nervosa is recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory practices, such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives and/or diuretics, exaggerated physical activity, etc., to eliminate the excess calories introduced.
This pattern of food intake and elimination can either lead to significant weight loss (although rarely extreme as in the case of anorexia) or allow the affected person to maintain a normal weight or to be only slightly overweight, despite the significant amounts of food ingested (mostly high-calorie).
However, even when the weight appears reasonable and the person with bulimia nervosa in good health, the disease exposes the person to the risk of serious metabolic imbalances and non-negligible clinical criticality on the gastroenterological (with possible acute and serious chronic damage), cardiovascular, renal, and long-term complications from protracted malnutrition (in particular, osteoporosis) front.
