A new phenotype of anorexia nervosa: the changing shape of eating disorders

A 6-year retrospective cohort study was undertaken of adolescents admitted to hospital for the first time for refeeding. All patients met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for AN (N=72) or EDNOS-AN[wt] (N=28). Baseline medical data are reported. In 2005, EDNOS-AN[wt] represented 7.7% of first admissions, rising 6-fold to 46.0% by 2010. Hypophosphataemia (< 1.10mmol/L) developed in 38.9% of AN and 28.6% of EDNOS-AN[wt] inpatients. Bradycardia (pulse rates <50 bpm) occurred in 33.3% of AN and 46.4% of EDNOS-AN[wt] patients, while pulse rates < 40 bpm occurred in 25.0% and 32.0% respectively. A dramatic increase in the proportion of adolescents admitted with EDNOS-AN[wt] is evident. The rate of severe medical complications is concerning, and suggests that significant weight loss can be life-threatening in adolescents, even when they are not underweight. This abstract was presented in the Anorexia Nervosa – Characteristics and Treatment stream of the 2013 ANZAED Conference.