A Comprehensive Review of Complications and New Findings Associated with Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa is a complex and deadly psychiatric disorder. It is characterized by a significant degree of both co-occurring psychiatric diseases and widespread physiological changes which affect nearly every organ system. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the varied consequences of this disorder. Given the high rate of mortality due to AN, there is a need for early recognition so that patients can be referred for appropriate medical and psychiatric care early in the course of the disorder. In this study, we present a comprehensive review of the recent literature describing medical findings commonly encountered in patients with AN. The varied and overlapping complications of AN affect pregnancy, psychological well-being, as well as bone, endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems.

Hospitalizations for Anorexia Nervosa during the COVID-19 Pandemic in France: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

“…We then compared several variables of interest between the two time periods: age at hospitalization grouped into classes (10–19 years old, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60 and older), sex, number of patients, number of stays per patient and mean duration of stay in days. Several proxies of severity [ 25 , 26 ] were also extracted, including hospitalizations for AN with a diagnosis of intentional self-harm (ICD-10 codes X60–X84), hospitalizations for AN in an ICU and death at discharge.…”

“…The present study was based on analysis of exhaustive national data including 21,600 French people hospitalized for AN during the period of 2018–2021. Furthermore, as highlighted by recent work showing that major complications of AN manifest most often as serious medical problems and self-harming behaviors, leading to hospitalization [ 25 , 26 ], we also examined associated clinical markers of severity, i.e., intensive care unit admissions, self-harm and death during hospitalization. We hypothesized that the first wave of COVID-19 might be associated with an initial reduction in hospitalizations, followed by an increase during the subsequent waves of the pandemic, as illustrated by recent research on self-harm hospitalization [ 27 ] and related to delayed psychological distress in young people.…”

Editorial: Full and Partial Hospitalization Interventions for Eating Disorders

“…Treatment is challenging and only 50% of patients respond to gold-standard treatments. There are many psychological hallmarks leading to treatment resistance (1), and state-related pernicious (sometimes life-threatening) conditions (2). In this light, for a substantial number of patients, an intensification of outpatient treatment is needed over the course of illness.…”

Parent-Focused Psychotherapy for the Preventive Management of Chronicity in Anorexia Nervosa: A Case Series

“…High rates of relapse have been reported, long-term prognosis is often poor [ 22 ], and specifically in adults, mortality rates of between 9% and 20% have been observed over 12-to-20-year follow-up periods [ 23 , 24 ]. Moreover, persons with AN are frequently characterized for showing high rates of treatment denial, treatment avoidance, and treatment dropout [ 25 , 26 ], which drastically impairs their prognosis, and raises the likelihood to suffer serious medical consequences [ 27 , 28 ] and develop a severe and enduring disorder [ 29 ]. Additionally, people with chronic AN exhibit a long-term impairment of the overall functioning equivalent to that displayed in other severe and chronic mental disorders such as schizophrenia [ 7 , 30 ].…”