Children in the drive for thinness. how early anorexia nervosa modifies development
Schulze, U.; Mehler-Wex, C.; Remschmidt, H.; Herpertz-Dahlmann, B.; Warnke, A.
MMW Fortschritte der Medizin 144(38): 28-30
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 1438-3276 PMID: 12395698 Document Number: 547977
In adolescents and young women, the prevalence of anorexia nervosa is 0.5-1%. Approximately 5% of all anorectics are younger than 12 years of age. Frequent psychiatric concomitant conditions that develop during the long-term course are depression or dysthymia (in our own patient material approximately 14%) and anxiety (some 28%). In our own studies, healing success was achieved in 54% of the cases; 18% achieved partial remission with remnant symptoms of an unspecific eating disorder, and 28% continued to exhibit anorectic and/or bulimic symptoms. Of prognostic importance were eating disorders in the child's first year and the duration of the catamnesis. The prognosis of anorexia nervosa with onset in childhood does not appear to differ significantly from that of anorexia with onset in adolescence or adulthood.