How do eating disorders affect thyroid function?

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Thyroid function tests are routinely ordered in evaluating patients with eating disorders, and quite often, indexes are low. This does not usually indicate a pathologic condition in these patients, however, since a low serum triiodothyronine level is common in starvation states. The authors review three cases of altered thyroid function associated with anorexia nervosa and bulimia that normalized after two to three weeks of adequate nutritional intake.