Is physical illness a risk factor for eating disorders in children and adolescents? A preliminary investigation.

This study investigates the correlation between early-onset eating disorders and past history of physical illness. Subjects for this study were children and adolescents aged between 7 and 19 years, and were divided into two groups: those with anorexia nervosa (n=62) and those with "other eating disorders" (n=28). Data on medical history were obtained retrospectively from the patient's files and coded by a consultant psychiatrist. There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to a history of prior physical illness. However, those with anorexia nervosa were significantly more likely to have suffered more than one serious physical illness prior to the onset of their eating disorder, and both groups were significantly more likely to have had a prior physical illness than an adult control group [Patton, G. C., Wood, K., & Johnson-Sabine. Br. J. Psychiatry 149 (1986) 756.]. Thus, it appears that a past history of physical illness is a significant risk factor for early-onset eating disorders in general, and for anorexia nervosa in particular when there has been more than one physical illness.