Mortality in eating disorders: A descriptive study

✍ Scribed by Herzog, David B. ;Greenwood, Dara N. ;Dorer, David J. ;Flores, Andrea T. ;Ekeblad, Elizabeth R. ;Richards, Ana ;Blais, Mark A. ;Keller, Martin B.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 157 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(200007)28:1<20::aid-eat3>3.0.co;2-x

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

We report rates and causes of death for a cohort of 246 eating-disordered women and provide descriptive information on their eating disorder and comorbid diagnoses.

Method:

Data on mortality were collected as part of a longitudinal study of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, now in its 11th year. other data sources included death certificates, autopsy reports, relative interviews, and a national death index search.

Results:

Seven deaths have occurred during the study, all among anorexic subjects with a history of binging and purging and with comorbid axis i disorders. the crude mortality rate was 5.1%. the standardized mortality ratios for death (9.6) and suicide (58.1) were significantly elevated (p <. 001).

Conclusions:

Anorexia nervosa is associated with a substantial risk of death and suicide. features correlated with fatal outcome are longer duration of illness, binging and purging, comorbid substance abuse, and comorbid affective disorders.