The significance of a history of anorexia nervosa as regards the diagnosis and treatment outcome for bulimia is unclear. In a retrospective analysis of medical records of 59 inpatients with bulimia (DSM-III), variables related to personal and psychiatric family history did not reveal any differences in bulimics subtyped according to previous anorexia nervosa as defined in the criteria of Russell (1979). These anamnestic data support the results of studies indicating that no specific clinical and outcome variables are correlated with a history of anorexia nervosa in bulimia. The lower body weight and longer duration of bulimia found in bulimic inpatients with a history of anorexia nervosa, however, should be further examined.
