Atypical anorexia nervosa: Rethinking the association between target weight and rehospitalization. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shachar-Lavie, Iris; Segal, Hila; Oryan, Zohar; Halifa-Kurtzman, Irit; Bar-Eyal, Adi; Hadas, Arik; Tamar, Tahar; Benaroya-Milshtein, Noa; Fennig, Silvana
• Is Part Of: Eating behaviors. Volume 46(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: Eating disorders -- Atypical anorexia -- Target weight -- Rehospitalization -- Adolescents -- Inpatient unit; Eating disorders -- Periodicals; Compulsive eating -- Periodicals; Obesity -- Periodicals; 616.8526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101649
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1471-0153

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: Bodyweight restoration is one of the most important targets in adolescent inpatient treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN). This study examined the association between achieving target weight and rehospitalization in two groups of adolescents with AN and atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) admitted to a specialized inpatient unit. Method: Included were 202 adolescent patients hospitalized in a specialized eating disorder unit, 10–18 years old. One hundred fifty-four adolescents were diagnosed with AN, and 48 with AAN. We examined the patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, the achievement of treatment goals, and their rehospitalization history within a year of discharge from the unit. Results: Log-linear regression indicated a significant association between achieving target weight during the inpatient program and rehospitalization at one-year follow-up in the AN group; this association was not significant in the AAN group. Discussion: This study emphasizes the importance of differentiating patients with AAN from those with classical AN. Specifically, it raises questions about the predictive power of target weight at discharge in preventing relapse and its centrality in determining AAN patients' treatment plans. Highlights: People with anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia were assessed after a year. Both groups were discharged after achieving treatment goal weight (TGW). Both groups were re-hospitalized at similar rates at one year follow up. TGW was associated with rehospitalization for people with anorexia nervosa. TGW was not associated with rehospitalization for people with atypical anorexia.