High Mortality Rates in Bulimia Nervosa and EDNOS Patients

Among outpatients with bulimia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified, mortality rates were significantly higher than would be expected on the basis of demographics.

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), particularly those who require hospitalization, have high rates of early mortality. What about people who have bulimia nervosa (BN) or whose conditions fall into the large, heterogeneous category of “eating disorders not otherwise specified” (EDNOS)? To find out, investigators analyzed data on 1885 outpatients (177 with AN, 906 with BN, and 802 with EDNOS; >95% women) who presented to a university clinic between 1979 and 1997.

Using the National Death Index, the researchers found raw mortality rates of 4% for the AN and BN groups and of 5% for the EDNOS group. Standardized mortality rates (SMR; i.e., relative to expected rates for people in the same demographic category) were significantly elevated among …

Reviewing Author

Joel Yager, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInternational Journal of Eating Disorders; UpToDate; FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry; American Journal of Psychotherapy

Joel Yager, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInternational Journal of Eating Disorders; UpToDate; FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry; American Journal of Psychotherapy

High Mortality Rates in Bulimia Nervosa and EDNOS Patients

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Reviewing Author