Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Risk Trajectories Following a Diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is one of the most lethal among psychiatric illnesses, with a premature mortality rate close to 6 times that of the general population. Individuals with AN engage in selfstarvation in pursuit of extreme thinness, resulting in underweight states complicated by medical problems, such as electrolyte imbalances, cardiac arrythmias, and death. Treatments start by increasing food intake to restore the lost body weight, which requires close medical monitoring, given the risk of refeeding syndrome, a dangerous complication that can result in congestive heart failure (CHF), cardiac arrest, or death. Treatment is notoriously difficult because the treatment goals of weight gain directly oppose the drive for thinness underlying AN, and even after successful treatment, patients often struggle to maintain healthy-weight states, contributing to a chronic course of illness with high rates of mortality and morbidity.