Hirschsprung Disease and Eating Disorders

Hirschsprung disease (HD) is a congenital disease which occurs in about 1 in 5000 births and is most commonly diagnosed shortly after birth. True incidence of HD in adulthood is unknown, because the illness is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in the adult population. A variety of nonspecific gastrointestinal complains (constipation, abdominal discomfort, and abdominal pain), which can be characteristic for HD, also commonly occur in eating disorders (ED). This chapter will discuss the symptomatic overlap between the two conditions across the lifespan and will present some clinical considerations promoting their thorough diagnosis and treatment.