bulimia

She outlined for the jury a secret struggle with bulimia, saying she had been regularly binge-eating and purging since her teens - something her defence team suggested accounted for her lack of symptoms.

The Department of Health said regional adult eating disorder services were commissioned to treat anorexia, bulimia and atypical presentations of these conditions.

Yesterday, the court heard that Ms Patterson had struggled with bulimia since her teens and was prone to regularly binge eating and vomiting after meals.

The study also suggested some cases of tooth wear were related to gastric acids, with dental screenings revealing patterns similar to those from acid reflux and even in eating disorders like bulimia.

The singer had previously suffered multiple health problems, including bulimia, breast cancer and emphysema caused by decades of smoking.