# Eating Disorder vs Addison’s Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Published Case Reports

## TL;DR

A 56-year-old woman initially thought to have an eating disorder was later diagnosed with Addison’s disease, highlighting the need to distinguish between these conditions to avoid misdiagnosis.

## Contribution

The paper adds a new case to the literature and reviews nine similar cases where Addison’s disease was misdiagnosed as an eating disorder.

## Key findings

- Addison’s disease symptoms can closely resemble those of eating disorders, leading to diagnostic delays.
- Ten cases were analyzed, showing the importance of considering adrenal insufficiency in patients with unexplained symptoms.
- Psychiatrists and specialists should consider Addison’s disease as a differential diagnosis in similar presentations.

## Abstract

This report presents the case of a 56-year-old female, initially diagnosed with an eating disorder, who was ultimately found to suffer from Addison’s disease. The aim is to highlight the differences between these two conditions to prevent future misdiagnoses.

The patient was admitted to the hospital under the care of the Internal Medicine Department due to an electrolyte imbalance. Following consultations with Psychiatry and Endocrinology, further evaluations led to the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. This case prompted a review of the literature on this topic. A comprehensive PubMed search identified nine published case reports of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency who were initially misdiagnosed with an eating disorder.

The data from these 10 cases, including the present one, were analyzed in terms of age, sex, diagnostic delay, symptoms, laboratory abnormalities, and clinical outcomes.

Addison’s disease is a rare and potentially fatal condition whose symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for those of an eating disorder. It is crucial for psychiatrists and other specialists to consider this differential diagnosis in similar clinical presentations.