Rates of anorexia nervosa among young people are rising, increasingly affecting children, researchers warn today.
Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality among psychiatric disorders, state Professor Sarah Byford of King’s College London, UK, and colleagues in today’s (23 October) BMJ Open.
The authors looked at the incidence of anorexia nervosa in people aged eight to 17 years in the UK and Ireland using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System, compiled by child and adolescent psychiatrists in 2015.
They explain that current estimates are at least a decade old and mostly derived from GP records rather than hospital/specialist services, which are likely to be a more reliable source of information.
This showed 305 new cases of anorexia over an eight month period. 91% were young women and the average age was 14.6 years.
The overall rate was 13.68 per 100,000 population – 25.66 per 100,000 girls and 2.28 per 100,000 boys.
“Incidence increased steadily with age, peaking at 15 for young women and 16 for young men,” say the authors. “Comparison with earlier estimates suggests rates for children aged 12 and under have increased over the last ten years.”
They conclude: “Service providers and commissioners should consider evidence to suggest an increase in incidence in younger children. Future research should explore the development of earlier interventions, given evidence of an increase in incidence in young children.”
Petkova, H. et al. Incidence of anorexia nervosa in young people in the UK and Ireland: a national surveillance study. BMJ Open 23 October 2019; doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027339
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027339
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