This points to the importance of those affected receiving good help early on, says Elisabet Wentz, senior physician and professor of psychiatry at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in eating disorders.
According to the study, published in BMJ Medicine , people with an eating disorder diagnosis had a six-times higher risk of suffering from kidney failure and osteoporosis than comparable people without an eating disorder in the first year after diagnosis.
The risk of heart failure and type 1 and 2 diabetes was also elevated up to five years after diagnosis.
Higher risk of suicide
It has long been known that people with eating disorders have an increased risk of premature death and certain psychiatric diagnoses such as depression. This is confirmed in the study. Ten years after diagnosis, the risk of suicide was almost three times higher than for people without an eating disorder.
In the study, which is based on medical records from 24,709 people in the UK with an eating disorder diagnosis, around 60 percent were classified as having a non-specific eating disorder. This is a group that is at risk of being missed, according to Elisabet Wentz.
The severity of the eating disorder can vary over time, from, for example, first fulfilling an anorexia nervosa diagnosis to transitioning into a milder form that is assessed as an unspecified eating disorder. These patients may have difficulty accessing specialized care, but it is important that they receive help.
Can get well
She believes that primary care is important, as it is where patients often have their initial contact and while waiting to receive specialist care.
The researchers behind the study also highlight the role of primary care, not least in following up patients and the long-term consequences.
There is help available and many can recover completely. For bulimia and binge eating, for example, CBT can have a good effect, says Elisabet Wentz.
In emergencies or if you have thoughts of suicide, always call 112.
A fellow person on duty can be reached at night at 08-702 16 80.
Priest on duty, available at night. Call 112 and ask to speak to the priest on duty.
Poison Information Center, 010-45 66 700, 24 hours a day.
The suicide line, available via chat and phone 90 101 24/7.
Parent Line, 020-85 20 00. Open weekdays 10 am–3 pm and Thursday evenings 7 pm–9 pm.
Bris: Call, email or chat. Phone: 116 111.
Source: mind.se
