Incidence of Anorexia Nervosa in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Leticia Martínez-González,Vicente Martín,Tania Fernández-Villa,Antonio José Molina,Miguel Delgado-Rodríguez

doi:10.3390/ijerph17113824

Abstract

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) among the general population is a rare but often fatal illness. Objective: To summarize the incidence of AN using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, WoS and Embase) were consulted. The review was conducted according to with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was limited to women. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: A total of 31 articles were included in the study. The incidence rate of AN ranged from 0.5 to 318.0 cases per 100,000 women–years. The incidence in studies based on outpatient healthcare services (OHS) was higher than those based on hospital admissions (HA) (8.8 95% CI: 7.83–9.80 vs. 5.0 95% CI: 4.87–5.05). In young women, the incidence in OHS was higher than HA (63.7, 95% CI 61.21–66.12 vs. 8.1 95% CI 7.60–8.53). The linear trend in the incidence of AN was increasing in all ages of women and young women, both in studies with hospital admission records, and in those based on outpatient healthcare services. Conclusion: The incidence of AN depends on the methodology, the type of population and the diagnostic criteria used.

Highlights

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by both physical and psychological symptoms
In young women, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 diagnosed fewer cases than the DSM-III-TR, which does not coincide with a study conducted in 18-year-old women where the ICD-10 diagnosed more cases than the DSM-III-TR [80]
The current literature is characterized by significant variations in the methods used to assess the incidence of Anorexia nervosa (AN) and the wide variability of the diagnostic criteria

Summary

Introduction

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by both physical and psychological symptoms. This disease occurs more frequently in young women in Western countries, it is diagnosed in older women in non-Western countries [1]. Incidence rates of the first hospitalization for AN in women are increasing in recently published studies [5,6]. This variability could be due, at least in part, to the improvements in case detection over time [1]. Objective: To summarize the incidence of AN using a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion