Women treated for anorexia nervosa have significant risk for relapse for up to two years after restoration of weight and hospital discharge

Women who have been treated for anorexia nervosa remain at significant risk for relapse up to two years after weight has been restored and they have been discharged from the hospital, according to an article in the May issue of Psychological Medicine.

Jacqueline Carter and her Canadian colleagues evaluated follow-up data for 51 patients. Within two years of leaving the hospital, 35 per cent of patients had relapsed into anorexia - defined as a drop in body mass index below 17.5 percent for three consecutive months. The mean time before relapse was 18 months, in contrast to earlier research which had suggested that those who relapsed would do so within a year of finishing treatment.

“Our most important finding is that in a significant proportion of cases, the illness is chronic and debilitating,” said Carter. “We’re pretty good at helping people to become weight-restored in the hospital, but really the challenge now is to figure out how to improve relapse prevention treatments and improve long-term outcomes for people with anorexia nervosa.”

Excessive exercise immediately following discharge from the hospital was the strongest predictor of relapse, but previous suicide attempts, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and an over-concern about weight and shape were also important factors. This knowledge about predictors, and continuing research, will be used to develop treatments to help prevent relapse for a disease that affects one to two per cent of adult women sometime in their lifetimes, said Carter.


 


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