New study opens the door for targeting signs of eating disorders

Oftentimes individuals with stomach-related issues do not tell healthcare providers that they have an eating disorder when visiting the doctor or emergency room, and this lack of communication between patient and doctor can lead to a worsened condition. Because of this dilemma, the emergency nurses and doctors could better prepare for diagnosing eating disorders in patients with stomach-related problems, according to a new study by the University of Michigan (U-M).

An unacknowledged visit
Researchers at the U-M Medical School's Department of Emergency Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, along with scientists at the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor, Mich., examined more than 940 adolescents, 14 to 20 years old, for eating disorder symptoms during a visit to the U-M Emergency Department for unrelated psychiatric reasons.

"They come in for other things - and it's up to health care providers to know what to look for," explained director of the study Suzanne Dooley-Hash, M.D., emergency physician at U-M. "ER teams can be equipped to refer patients for care, just as we do for substance abuse. It could be a wake-up call, a teachable moment, a chance to tell them they need to seek help and direct them to resources."

Of the patients admitted, roughly 16 percent displayed signs of an eating disorder. And those who were diagnosed with an eating disorder were also likely to have indicators of depression or substance abuse, conditions that are typically linked to anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating. Consistent with past studies of the conditions, people admitted with eating disorders were more than three times more likely to be obese than not - and more than a quarter of the overall patients were males.

A nationwide problem
More than 24 million people of all ages have an eating disorder in the United States, and almost half of those people have some type of symptom compatible with depression, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). However, only one out of every 10 men and women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia or binge eating will receive treatment for their condition, notes the ANAD. Often it is those who, for example, may buy Paxil from an online pharmacy to treat symptoms of mental illness who will go undiagnosed with an eating disorder, as only 35 percent of those who do receive some type of treatment are specifically cared for at a specialized center.

The U-M study notes that more research will be needed to find generalized correlations applicable to treating the condition, before ER physicians can provide targeted interventions for those Americans who are more at risk.