Russell's sign. Subtle hand changes in patients with bulimia nervosa.

Overview

Bulimia nervosa is a common eating disorder, affecting between 1% to 10% of adolescent girls and college aged women. Because excessive weight loss and amenorrhea are not significant features, as they are in anorexia, bulimia is much harder to diagnose. Orthopaedic surgeons have a unique opportunity to detect one of the few physical signs of the disease, which is skin lesions, consisting of abrasions, small lacerations, and callosities on the dorsum of the hand overlying the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints. These nondescript dorsal lesions are caused by repeated contact of the incisors to the skin of the hand that occur during self induced vomiting. This finding, known as Russell's sign, may be seen by orthopaedic surgeons during examinations for other reasons. Because eating disorders are recognized as a component of the female athlete triad of osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and eating disorders and because orthopaedic surgeons routinely care for female athletes susceptible to these disorders, recognizing this sign and its implications may have profound influence on the patient's musculoskeletal system and general health.