Long-term outcome of anorexia nervosa in a prospective 21-year follow-up study

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 881-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. LÖWE ◽  
S. ZIPFEL ◽  
C. BUCHHOLZ ◽  
Y. DUPONT ◽  
D. L. REAS ◽  
...  

Background. Given our poor understanding of the very long-term course of anorexia nervosa, many questions remain regarding the potential for recovery and relapse. The purpose of the present study was to investigate long-term outcome and prognosis in an anorexic sample 21 years after the initial treatment.Method. A multidimensional and prospective design was used to assess outcome in 84 patients 9 years after a previous follow-up and 21 years after admission. Among the 70 living patients, the follow-up rate was 90%. Causes of death for the deceased patients were obtained through the attending physician. Predictors of a poor outcome at the 21-year follow-up were selected based on the results of a previous 12-year follow-up of these patients.Results. Fifty-one per cent of the patients were found to be fully recovered at follow-up, 21% were partially recovered and 10% still met full diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. Sixteen per cent were deceased, due to causes related to anorexia nervosa. The standardized mortality rate was 9·8. The three groups also showed significant differences in psychosocial outcome. A low body mass index and a greater severity of social and psychological problems were identified as predictors of a poor outcome.Conclusions. Recovery is still possible for anorexic patients after a period of 21 years. On the other hand, patients can relapse, becoming symptomatic again despite previously achieving recovery status. Only a few patients classified as having a poor outcome were found to seek any form of treatment, therefore, it is recommended that these patients should be monitored regularly and offered treatment whenever possible.

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-525
Author(s):  
Robert J. Haggerty

Anorexia nervosa is a serious psychosomatic disorder which most typically begins between 16 and 18 years of age. Clinicians have often held that early onset (eg, ages 11 to 15) is associated with a better outcome. This paper reviews the long-term outcome studies on anorexia nervosa and concludes that this contention is not supported by available data. The methodologies of seven outcome studies that focus on an early onset population are critiqued, and it is concluded that two methodologies are strong. Because of the increasing prevalence of anorexia nervosa, this once rare disorder can now be more easily investigated, and consequently better follow-up studies, which examine potential prognostic factors including age of onset, should be forthcoming.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Andrés-Pepiñá ◽  
Maria Teresa Plana ◽  
Itziar Flamarique ◽  
Sonia Romero ◽  
Roger Borràs ◽  
...  

Objective: To assess the outcome of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) about 20 years after first treatment. Methods: Sixty-two women diagnosed with AN during adolescence were invited to participate. Of these 62 patients, 38 agreed to participate and were assessed with a battery of questionnaires and interviews. A control group of 30 women of similar age was also assessed. Results: Of the patients who completed the full assessment, 13 (34%) presented some degree of eating disorder (ED) at follow-up (10 (26%) met full Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) criteria for an ED and 3 (8%) showed partial remission of an ED). The remaining 25 (66%) patients had fully recovered from AN. The duration of untreated illness before admission was significantly associated with an increased risk of a current ED (odds ratio (OR) = 3.334 (1.3–8.7); p = .014). Of the patients who had recovered totally from their ED, 24% showed another psychiatric disorder. This percentage rose to 70% in patients with a current ED. Conclusion: Sixty-six percent of adolescents who completed the assessment achieved remission of their AN. Comorbidity was more common in the current ED group. The variable that best predicted complete remission was the number of years without treatment, showing the importance of detection and early intervention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 216 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Rydberg Dobrescu ◽  
Lisa Dinkler ◽  
Carina Gillberg ◽  
Maria Råstam ◽  
Christopher Gillberg ◽  
...  

BackgroundLittle is known about the long-term outcome of anorexia nervosa.AimsTo study the 30-year outcome of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa.MethodAll 4291 individuals born in 1970 and attending eighth grade in 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden were screened for anorexia nervosa. A total of 24 individuals (age cohort for anorexia nervosa) were pooled with 27 individuals with anorexia nervosa (identified through community screening) who were born in 1969 and 1971–1974. The 51 individuals with anorexia nervosa and 51 school- and gender-matched controls were followed prospectively and examined at mean ages of 16, 21, 24, 32 and 44. Psychiatric disorders, health-related quality of life and general outcome were assessed.ResultsAt the 30-year follow-up 96% of participants agreed to participate. There was no mortality. Of the participants, 19% had an eating disorder diagnosis (6% anorexia nervosa, 2% binge-eating disorder, 11% other specified feeding or eating disorder); 38% had other psychiatric diagnoses; and 64% had full eating disorder symptom recovery, i.e. free of all eating disorder criteria for 6 consecutive months. During the elapsed 30 years, participants had an eating disorder for 10 years, on average, and 23% did not receive psychiatric treatment. Good outcome was predicted by later age at onset among individuals with adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa and premorbid perfectionism.ConclusionsThis long-term follow-up study reflects the course of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa and has shown a favourable outcome regarding mortality and full symptom recovery. However, one in five had a chronic eating disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Wallin ◽  
Riitta Holmer

Introduction: The family is rarely involved in treatment when the patient with anorexia nervosa (AN) is hospitalized. Family treatment apartment (FTA) represents an intervention that includes the family in the intensive treatment of AN. This study compares the short- and long-term outcomes of adolescents treated in FTA with those who received inpatient hospital care. In FTA, the parents are responsible for providing meal support, whereas in hospital care, the staff is responsible.Methods: Sixty-eight previous patients admitted during the period 1990–2009 participated in a follow-up, 43 from the FTA where the whole family is admitted for treatment and 25 from regular psychiatric inpatient care. The follow-up consisted of a personal meeting with structured interviews, measurement of height and weight, and self-rating questionnaires.Result: Readmissions due to weight loss within 6 months from discharge were less common in the FTA group. At follow-up, 14.2 years after admission, there was no difference in eating disorder pathology between the groups. There were significantly lower scores on general psychiatric pathology and significantly higher scores on quality of life in the FTA group.Discussion: The treatment in FTA aims to give the family the ability to handle AN when it is most challenging. FTA may thus provide a helpful context for treatment with a basic sense of security along with skills that could contribute to better general mental health at follow-up.


1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndall M. Jones ◽  
W.K. Halford ◽  
Roger T. Dooley

The long-term outcome (mean follow-up period 5.7 years) for 20 patients with anorexia nervosa was assessed on a comprehensive battery of self-report inventories and a structured clinical interview. Two thirds of the cohort were improved to a clinically significant degree at follow-up, but the majority still showed higher than normal scores on inventories of anorexic symptomatology, social maladjustment, anxiety, and hostility. The remaining one third were unimproved and demonstrated a broad range of impairment including distorted attitudes toward eating, overconcern about body shape, poor social functioning, high levels of anxiety, hostility, depression, and external locus of control. Moderate to strong correlations were found across outcome measures. Longer duration of eating difficulties before presentation was a strong predictor of poor long-term outcome, suggesting a chronic relapsing form of the disorder occurred in a subgroup of patients.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Akhtar ◽  
Saadat Kamran ◽  
Rajvir Singh ◽  
Zain Bhutta ◽  
Debby Morgan ◽  
...  

Background: There are gender differences in the short-term prognosis following acute stroke suggesting that outcome is less favorable in women. Factors contributing to this poor outcome include preexisting morbidity, stroke severity and higher age. Most previous studies have looked at short-term prognosis. PURPOSE: We investigated whether gender differences have a differential impact on incidence of short-term outcome and long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including stroke, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary revascularization procedure, and death in patients with suspected acute stroke. Methods: The study used a prospective cohort of Qatari patients with suspected acute stroke between January 2014 and February 2019. We calculated the modified Rankin score (mRS) at discharge and 90-days (short-term) and MACE (long-term) outcomes in both genders. To determine the independent predictor for MACE, the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used and summarized as hazard ratio and 95% confidential interval. Results: A total of 1372 patients identified. At 90-days, women found to have significantly poorer outcome (34.0% vs 23.4%, p<0.001) mortality (8.5% vs 5.2%, p<0.03) overall. MACE was present in 30.5% (418/1372) during follow-up (57.2% males and 54.3% females, p=0.32). Median follow-up was 44.6 months for females and 47.2 months for males. Mean age in MACE group was significantly higher (65.5±15.3 vs 60.1±15.9, p< 0.001). Hypertension, diabetes, prior history of stroke, coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation on admission was more significant in MACE group, while obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was more common in non-MACE group. Patients with MACE had higher NIHSS on admission (6.1±7.4 vs 3.5±5.3, p<0.001), HbA1c (7.7±2.3 vs 7.4±2.3, p=0.02) and poorer prognosis (44.5% vs 18.6%, p<0.001) and higher mortality at 90-days. Once corrected, the hazard regression analysis showed that no difference in MACE between the two genders. Conclusion: Our results show that despite higher mortality and poor outcome at 90-days, the long-term outcome in women did not show any significant difference from men in this cohort. This may be related to older age and presence of cardiovascular risk factors.


1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Walford ◽  
Noel Mccune

Fifteen children who developed anorexia nervosa aged 13 years or less were followed up at least three years later (mean 5.3 years). Outcome measures included the Morgan & Russell Outcome Schedule and the PSE. The general outcome was good in seven, intermediate in four, and poor in four, one of whom had died. A high incidence of psychiatric symptoms at follow-up, which has been suggested in other studies, was not confirmed in the 11 subjects who completed the PSE. Where onset was very early (11 years and under) and where hospital stay was prolonged, outcome tended to be poor.


1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. G. Morgan ◽  
G. F. M. Russell

SynopsisThis is a prognostic study on 41 patients with anorexia nervosa (including three males) who satisfied defined diagnostic criteria. The patients had all been admitted to a metabolic unit where the mainstay of treatment was nursing care aimed at rapid restoration of body weight. A follow-up was conducted after a minimum lapse of four years after each patient's discharge from hospital. The outcome of the patient's illness was expressed in terms of an ‘average outcome score’ and a ‘general outcome’. The series included a relatively high proportion of patients with a long illness who had received previous psychiatric treatment. Their families tended to come from higher social classes; a disturbed relationship with the patient was frequent. Premorbid disturbances in personality development were also common. The immediate response to treatment was excellent, with the majority of the patients returning to a normal weight, but relapses after discharge were common and readmissions were necessary in half the patients. At follow-up, the patients fell into the following defined categories: ‘good’ (39%), ‘intermediate’ (27%), ‘poor’ (29%), died (5%). Most of the patients who failed to recover continued to display the clinical features characteristic of anorexia nervosa. Among predictors of an unfavourable outcome were found a relatively late age of onset, a longer duration of illness, previous admissions to psychiatric hospitals, a disturbed relationship between the patient and other members of the family, and premorbid personality difficulties. It is suggested that the long-term outcome found in a series will depend more on factors influencing patient referral according to the severity of their illness, rather than on the method of treatment itself. The illness may last several years before eventual improvement or recovery, and a follow-up study must be extended over at least four years to be meaningful. An accurate prediction of eventual outcome is almost impossible, but late recoveries justify an optimistic outlook and continued therapeutic endeavour.


VASA ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
. Bucek ◽  
Hudak ◽  
Schnürer ◽  
Ahmadi ◽  
Wolfram ◽  
...  

Background: We investigated the long-term clinical results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and the influence of different parameters on the primary success rate, the rate of complications and the long-term outcome. Patients and methods: We reviewed clinical and hemodynamic follow-up data of 166 consecutive patients treated with PTA in 1987 in our department. Results: PTA improved the clinical situation in 79.4% of patients with iliac lesions and in 88.3% of patients with femoro-popliteal lesions. The clinical stage and ankle brachial index (ABI) post-interventional could be improved significantly (each P < 0,001), the same results were observed at the end of follow-up (each P < 0,001). Major complications occurred in 11 patients (6.6%). The rate of primary clinical long-term success for suprainguinal lesions was 55% and 38% after 5 and 10 years (femoro-popliteal 44% and 33%), respectively, the corresponding data for secondary clinical long-term success were 63% and 56% (60% and 55%). Older age (P = 0,017) and lower ABI pre-interventional (P = 0,019) significantly deteriorated primary clinical long-term success for suprainguinal lesions, while no factor could be identified influencing the outcome of femoro-popliteal lesions significantly. Conclusion: Besides an acceptable success rate with a low rate of severe complications, our results demonstrate favourable long-term clinical results of PTA in patients with PAOD.


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