Who are the children and adolescent patients of a national referral service of eating disorders in Brazil?: a cross-sectional study of a clinical sample

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients receiving treatment at a specialized service for children and adolescents with eating disorders (ED) in São Paulo, Brazil, and to compare data with the relevant literature. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed male and female patients with ED up to 18 years of age. All data were collected upon admission. Results: A total of 100 subjects were assessed. Mean age was 15.41±0.18 years, and mean age at ED onset was 13.5±0.19 years. Mean disease duration was 21.06 ±1.67 months. Of the total sample, 82% of the patients were female, 84% were Caucasian, 64% came from A and B economic tiers. Moreover, in 60% ED started at 14 years of age or less, and 74% had psychiatric comorbidities. Anorexia nervosa was the most prevalent diagnosis (43%). Hospitalized patients had lower body mass index, longer ED duration, and more severe scores on the Children's Global Assessment Scale than outpatients (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our young Brazilian patients with ED present epidemiological and symptomatic characteristics very similar to those found in the scientific literature, including a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. The higher frequency of full syndrome ED, the predominance of cases with an early onset, the delay in beginning specialized treatment, and the more severe state of inpatients provide grounds for concern because these factors differ from what has been reported in reference studies and indicate greater ED severity.

Validation of the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale for adolescents

“…The presentation of EDs in childhood and adolescence shows peculiarities in comparison to adults [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . Younger patients tend to follow more drastic and severe dietary restrictions 10 , and compensatory behaviors tend to be non-purgative (e.g., excessive exercise) 3,6 .…”

Caracterização dos protocolos de realimentação para menores de idade hospitalizados com anorexia nervosa: uma revisão sistemática

“…Em São Paulo, pesquisadores do PROTAD (50) avaliaram o perfil sociodemográfico e as características clínicas de crianças e adolescentes atendidos para tratamento de TA. A amostra foi composta por 100 pacientes, com idade média de 15 anos e idade média do início dos sintomas de TA de 13 anos.…”

“…O tempo médio de duração da doença foi de 21 meses e, da amostra total, 82% dos pacientes eram meninas (uma proporção feminino/masculino de aproximadamente 12:1) e 74% tinham comorbidades psiquiátricas. A AN foi o diagnóstico mais prevalente (43%) e os pacientes hospitalizados tiveram menor IMC, maior tempo de TA e escores mais graves quando comparados com pacientes do ambulatório (p < 0,05) (50).…”