Anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of unknown etiology. Biological, psychological, and social components play a role in the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa. in approximately 95 percent of cases, the eating disorder is precipitated by dieting. in 8 percent of cases, initial weight loss may be inadvertent but after some weight loss occurs for medical reasons, the patient loses weight by voluntary dieting. Even less common is an iatrogenic onset.

The purpose of this article is to report four cases of iatrogenic onset of anorexia nervosa.

Case study and review of the literature.

The authors describe four clinical cases of patients with an onset of anorexia nervosa precipitated by iatrogenic beginning rather than the more typical onset following intentional dieting.

Risk factors are non-specific and the threshold of disease varies for each patient. Iatrogenic weight loss may be as powerful a trigger as intentional dieting to initiating anorexia nervosa in predisposed individuals; self-induced weight loss may not be a necessary precursor to anorexia nervosa.