Outcome of Polish teenage patients with eating disorders

Maciej Pilecki,Patrycja Cygankiewicz,Dorota Solecka,Barbara Józefik

doi:10.12740/app/29528

Abstract

Aim of the studyThe aim of the study was to assess outcome of patients with eating disorders in the Polish socio-cultural context.Subject or material and methodsRe-assessed after 6.72 years (SD 0.99 years, min 4.58 years, max 8.81 years) 47 of 112 patients consulted initially in the outpatient clinic of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit between 2002/2004 in Krakow, Poland with one of the eating disorders.ResultsComplete remission (absence of symptoms for three months) took place in 55% of patients from the restrictive anorexia nervosa group, 27.3% patients from the bulimia nervosa group. A full range of symptoms was observed in 10% of patients from the restrictive anorexia nervosa group and 36.4% of patients from the bulimia nervosa group. In both groups, the longer the follow-up study, the worse outcome was observed.DiscussionSmall size of group in the follow-up study caused a significant limitation.ConclusionsConclusion: The remission rates indices for restrictive anorexia nervosa are similar to these presented in other follow-up studies. In the case of bulimia nervosa they are lower than average. An analysis of diagnosis variability between the initial and the follow up assessment indicates low cross-over rate from anorexia nervosa to bulimia nervosa group.

Highlights

Eating disorders are a serious health and psychosocial problem among teenagers and young girls who are burdened with a significant riskTraditionally, the view prevailed that anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic disease, burdened with a high risk of death [2,3,4,5,6,7] while bulimia nervosa (BN) was considered its sinister variation [8]
The view prevailed that anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic disease, burdened with a high risk of death [2,3,4,5,6,7] while bulimia nervosa (BN) was considered its sinister variation [8]
All the girls diagnosed with any of the eating disorders according to DSM-IV (DGN 1) at the outpatient clinic of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital in Krakow in the 2002–2004 (DGN1) qualified for the follow-up study. 47 patients were diagnosed with restrictive anorexia (ANR), 16 with bingepurge anorexia (ANBP), 34 with bulimia nervosa (BUL), 15 patients were eligible for the eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) category, 7 of whom had signs of subclinical restrictive anorexia (ANRS), 6 with subclinical binge-purge anorexia (ANBPS), and 2 with bulimia with subclinical characteristics (BULS)

Summary

Introduction

Eating disorders are a serious health and psychosocial problem among teenagers and young girls who are burdened with a significant riskTraditionally, the view prevailed that anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic disease, burdened with a high risk of death [2,3,4,5,6,7] while bulimia nervosa (BN) was considered its sinister variation [8]. Eating disorders are a serious health and psychosocial problem among teenagers and young girls who are burdened with a significant risk. The last 12 years have brought a number of meta-analyses of outcomes in eating disorders, which changed their initial pessimistic image. The analyses were led in various time periods between 1980 and 2009, in different countries, covering various age ranges, diagnostic classification and criteria for recovery or symptomatic improvement. An important feature observed in AN is a decrease in the number of patients with full clinical symptoms over time, in particular between 5 and 10 years of follow-up, and in the later period of illness [9,10,11,12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion