Pharmacotherapy and medical complications of eating disorders in children and adolescents

The European Initiative ProYouth for the promotion of mental health and the prevention of eating disorders screening results in Hungary

OBJECTIVE

The ProYouth programme focuses on the promotion of mental health and the prevention of eating disorders (EDs) among young people. The aim of our study was to explore whether the programme can address individuals who are at risk for developing 2EDs.

METHOD

This study is designed as an online cross-sectional survey (n = 664, 12.2% men, 87.8% women, mean age: 24.9 years, SD = 5.4 years, range: 18-40 years). Measures included demographic data, self-reported weight and height, the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety, Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders, Weight Concerns Scale and previous/current treatment for EDs.

RESULTS

In terms of severity of EDs, 22.9% (n = 152) of the screened participants were symptom free, 48.8% (n = 324) had considerable concerns about their weight, 11.1% (n = 74) were slightly impaired, 15.1% (n = 100) had severe impairment and 2.1% (n = 14) of participants are currently under treatment for EDs. In total, 56.3% of users (n = 374) registered in the programme. According to our results, those who had considerable concerns about their weight and individuals who were severely impaired registered with a greater odds to the programme than those who were symptom free [odds ratio (OR) = 1.64, p = .021 and OR = 1.90, p = .023, respectively]. Furthermore, those who previously received treatment for their ED registered to the programme with greater odds than those who did not (OR = 2.40, p = .017).

CONCLUSION

ProYouth successfully addressed those who have elevated concerns about their weight and who also registered with greater odds to the programme than those who were symptom free regarding EDs. The screening results show that there is a greater need for specialized care targeting EDs in Hungary than what is currently available.

Effects of an Internet-based intervention for subthreshold eating disorders: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Women reporting initial eating disorder (ED) symptoms are at highest risk for the development of an eating disorder. Preventive interventions should, therefore, be specifically tailored for this subgroup.

AIMS

To adapt and evaluate the effects of the Internet-based prevention program "Student Bodies™" for women with symptoms of disordered eating and/or subthreshold eating disorder (ED) syndromes.

METHOD

126 women, reporting subthreshold ED symptoms (high weight and shape concerns and below threshold bingeing, purging, chronic dieting or several of these symptoms) were randomly assigned to a Student Bodies™+ (SB+) intervention or a wait-list control group and assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. "Student Bodies™" was adapted to be suitable for subthreshold EDs. Main outcome measures were attitudes and symptoms of disordered eating. Pre-follow-up data were analyzed by ANCOVAS with mixed effects.

RESULTS

At 6-month follow-up, compared to participants in the control group, participants in the intervention group showed significantly greater improvements on ED-related attitudes. Intervention participants also showed 67% (95% CI = 20-87%) greater reductions in combined rates of subjective and objective binges, and 86% (95% CI = 63-95%) greater reduction in purging episodes. Also, the rates of participants abstinent from all symptoms of disordered eating (restrictive eating, binge eating and any compensatory behavior) were significantly higher in the intervention group (45.1% vs. 26.9%). Post-hoc subgroup analyses revealed that for participants with binge eating the effect on EDE-Q scores was larger than in the pure restricting subgroup.

CONCLUSION

The adapted "SB+" program represents an effective intervention for women with subthreshold EDs of the binge eating subtype.

Who is really at risk? Identifying risk factors for subthreshold and full syndrome eating disorders in a high-risk sample

BACKGROUND

Numerous longitudinal studies have identified risk factors for the onset of most eating disorders (EDs). Identifying women at highest risk within a high-risk sample would allow for focusing of preventive resources and also suggests different etiologies.

METHOD

A longitudinal cohort study over 3 years in a high-risk sample of 236 college-age women randomized to the control group of a prevention trial for EDs. Potential risk factors and interactions between risk factors were assessed using the methods developed previously. Main outcome measures were time to onset of a subthreshold or full ED.

RESULTS

At the 3-year follow-up, 11.2% of participants had developed a full or partial ED. Seven of 88 potential risk factors could be classified as independent risk factors, seven as proxies, and two as overlapping factors. Critical comments about eating from teacher/coach/siblings and a history of depression were the most potent risk factors. The incidence for participants with either or both of these risk factors was 34.8% (16/46) compared to 4.2% (6/144) for participants without these risk factors, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and a specificity of 0.82.

CONCLUSIONS

Targeting preventive interventions at women with high weight and shape concerns, a history of critical comments about eating weight and shape, and a history of depression may reduce the risk for EDs.

Medical complications in children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa

A gyermek- és serdülőkorban kezdődő anorexia nervosa súlyos, potenciálisan életveszélyes betegség, mely korai halálozáshoz, valamint élethosszig tartó szomatikus és pszichoszociális megbetegedésekhez vezethet. Az állapot jelentős testi szövődményeket okoz a növekvő és fejlődő szervezet csaknem minden szervrendszerében. Bár ezek az eltérések a betegség gyógyulásával, a táplálkozási/táplálási rehabilitációval túlnyomó részben javulnak, némely elváltozás irreverzíbilis marad.A közlemény az elmúlt két évtized idevágó közleményeinek áttekintése alapján összefoglalja a gyermek- és serdülőkorban kezdődő anorexia nervosa szomatikus szövődményeinek evidenciákon alapuló szakirodalmát. Tárgyalja az akut tüneteket, kiemelten foglalkozik a só–víz háztartás zavaraival és az újratáplálási szindrómával, valamint részletezi a kardiovaszkuláris komplikációkat. Összefoglalja a gyermek- és serdülőkori anorexiára speciálisan jellemző elváltozásokat: a csont ásványianyag-tartalom csökkenését és az osteopenia lehetséges terápiás lehetőségeit, valamint a hossznövekedésbeni elmaradást.A szakirodalom áttekintése alapján megállapítható, hogy a gyermek- és serdülőkori anorexia nervosa szomatikus szövődményei különböznek a felnőttek megbetegedéseitől. A sajátságos klinikai megjelenés, a korai kezdet és a hosszú távú következmények ismeretének hiánya miatt szükséges külön tárgyalni a gyermek- és serdülőkori anorexia nervosát a felnőttekétől és felhívni a figyelmet a betegség minél korábbi felismerésének és hatékony terápiájának szükségességére. Egyre nő azon evidenciák száma, melyek az anorexia nervosa felismerésében és kezelésében hangsúlyozzák és elengedhetetlenné teszik a multidiszciplináris szakembercsoportok szerepét.

Prevention of eating disorders in at-risk college-age women

CONTEXT

Eating disorders, an important health problem among college-age women, may be preventable, given that modifiable risk factors for eating disorders have been identified and interventions have been evaluated to reduce these risk factors.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if an Internet-based psychosocial intervention can prevent the onset of eating disorders (EDs) in young women at risk for developing EDs.

SETTING

San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

PARTICIPANTS

College-age women with high weight and shape concerns were recruited via campus e-mails, posters, and mass media. Six hundred thirty-seven eligible participants were identified, of whom 157 were excluded, for a total sample of 480. Recruitment occurred between November 13, 2000, and October 10, 2003. Intervention A randomized controlled trial of an 8-week, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention (Student Bodies) that included a moderated online discussion group. Participants were studied for up to 3 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcome measure was time to onset of a subclinical or clinical ED. Secondary measures included change in scores on the Weight Concerns Scale, Global Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and Eating Disorder Inventory drive for thinness and bulimia subscales and depressed mood. Moderators of outcome were examined.

RESULTS

There was a significant reduction in Weight Concerns Scale scores in the Student Bodies intervention group compared with the control group at postintervention (P < .001), 1 year (P < .001), and 2 years (P < .001). The slope for reducing Weight Concerns Scale score was significantly greater in the treatment compared with the control group (P = .02). Over the course of follow-up, 43 participants developed subclinical or clinical EDs. While there was no overall significant difference in onset of EDs between the intervention and control groups, the intervention significantly reduced the onset of EDs in 2 subgroups identified through moderator analyses: (1) participants with an elevated body mass index (BMI) (> or =25, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) at baseline and (2) at 1 site, participants with baseline compensatory behaviors (eg, self-induced vomiting, laxative use, diuretic use, diet pill use, driven exercise). No intervention participant with an elevated baseline BMI developed an ED, while the rates of onset of ED in the comparable BMI control group (based on survival analysis) were 4.7% at 1 year and 11.9% at 2 years. In the subgroup with a BMI of 25 or higher, the cumulative survival incidence was significantly lower at 2 years for the intervention compared with the control group (95% confidence interval, 0% for intervention group; 2.7% to 21.1% for control group). For the San Francisco Bay Area site sample with baseline compensatory behaviors, 4% of participants in the intervention group developed EDs at 1 year and 14.4%, by 2 years. Rates for the comparable control group were 16% and 30.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Among college-age women with high weight and shape concerns, an 8-week, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention can significantly reduce weight and shape concerns for up to 2 years and decrease risk for the onset of EDs, at least in some high-risk groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that EDs can be prevented in high-risk groups.

Medical complications in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: a review of the literature

The purpose of the current article is to summarize the evidence-based medical complications and treatments that are both common and unique to adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Recent literature relating to the cardiovascular complications, refeeding syndrome, alterations in linear growth, impaired bone mineral accretion, and structural and functional brain changes was reviewed. The literature suggests that the medical complications in adolescents with AN are different from those reported in adults. The unique clinical presentation, the early onset, and the unknown impact of these complications underscore the need for early identification and treatment of AN in adolescents. AN is a serious disorder with significant and often life-threatening medical complications. The increasing growth of evidence highlights the importance of early identification and treatment by an interdisciplinary team of health care providers who have expertise in managing adolescents with AN and their medical sequelae.