Course and Outcome of Eating Disorders in a Primary Care-Based Cohort

Objective: To Study the Course and outcome of patients with eating disorder detected in primary care Method: General practitioners (G P's) provided information on the course and outcome of eating disorders in patients (n = 147) diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) identified during a Dutch nationwide primary care-based incidence study The research team determined the outcome based on the data provided by the GP's The mean duration of the follow-up was 4 8 years Results: About 57% of the patients initially diagnosed with AN and 61% of those diagnosed with BN were fully recovered AN binge/purge subtype (ANBP) demonstrated the most extended median Survival time of all diagnostic Subgroups (the point at which half of the group has reached full recovery) Diagnostic crossover was low A younger age at detection predicted recovery at outcome for AN and BN One patient (AN) died Discussion: The results of this study on differences in outcome and low crossover support the diagnostic distinction between AN and BIN in the DSM-IV Early detection is of major importance for a favorable outcome (C) 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, In