Outcome of severe anorexia nervosa patients receiving inpatient treatment in Japan: an 8-year follow-up study.

Sixty-one subjects with anorexia nervosa (AN) were followed for a minimum of 4 years after discharge (mean 8.3 years). They were evaluated using the Morgan-Russell Outcome Assessment Scale. Thirty-one (51%) were categorized as having good outcome, eight (13%) as intermediate, 15 (25%) as poor, and seven (11%) had died. As predictors of outcome, later onset (after 20 years of age) and low minimum body mass index were associated with poor prognosis. The outcome of AN in Japan is relatively similar to those in Western countries, irrespective of different sociocultural backgrounds and health systems.