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Long-term mortality in anorexia nervosa: a report after an 8-year follow-up and a review of the most recent literature

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 119–122 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate long-term mortality rate of anorexia nervosa (AN) patients in a southern Italy population compared to the most recent literature.

Design:

Retrospective and review setting.

Patients and interventions:

One hundred and forty-seven female AN patients, consecutively admitted from 1994 to 1997 to the Outpatient Unit, were re-examined between June and November 2003. Our data are compared with 10 other studies published since 1988.

Results:

One hundred and twenty-three deaths in 2240 patients, amounting to a total mortality rate of 5.25% were reported in the literature. Deaths due to suicide, AN-related and AN-unrelated diseases were 1.20, 3.07 and 0.98%, respectively. After correcting for unrelated deaths, mortality rate was 4.27%. In our 8-year follow-up, we found a mortality rate of 2.72% (1.82% after correcting for unrelated deaths). Standardized mortality ratio was 9.7.

Conclusion:

We interpret our favourable findings as a consequence of an integrated, clinical–nutritional and psychiatric approach. Finally, considering AN demographic characteristics, that is young female subjects in Westernized societies, mortality rate is confirmed to be dramatically high.

Sponsorship:

‘Federico II’ University of Naples.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Eufemia Silvestri, dietitian, for her skilful assistance, Fabiana Rubba, MD, for the help in statistical analysis and Mrs Rosanna Scala for kindly reviewing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Interuniversity Centre for Obesity and Eating Disorders, University ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy

    A Signorini, E De Filippo, S Panico, C De Caprio, F Pasanisi & F Contaldo

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  1. A Signorini
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  2. E De Filippo
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  3. S Panico
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  5. F Pasanisi
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Correspondence to F Contaldo.

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Signorini, A., De Filippo, E., Panico, S. et al. Long-term mortality in anorexia nervosa: a report after an 8-year follow-up and a review of the most recent literature. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 119–122 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602491

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