Incidence of anorexia nervosa in Denmark

Abstract

From 1970 to 1989, 915 people were admitted for the first time to psychiatric institutions in Denmark and had as their main diagnosis an eating disorder, ICD-8 306.50-59. The incidence of these admissions increased from 0.42/100,000 population in 1970 to a maximum of 1.36/100,000 in 1988. During the time of our investigation, the number of discharges of patients with an eating disorder as the main diagnosis was constant from somatic hospitals, whereas discharges from psychiatric institutions increased.

Incidence of eating disorders in Danish psychiatric secondary healthcare 1970–2008

“…Møller-Madsen et al (1992) and Munk-Jørgensen et al (1995) found increasing incidence, whereas Nielsen (1990) found a constant incidence. These differences are most likely due to inclusion criteria which are broader in Møller-Madsen et al and Munk-Jørgensen et al than in Nielsen. …”

“…Three nationwide incidence studies of AN and other eating disorders in secondary healthcare have been performed in Denmark - Nielsen (1990), Møller-Madsen et al (1992) and Munk-Jørgensen et al (1995) -since the electronic version of the Danish Central Psychiatric Research Register (DCPRR) was established in April 1969 (Mors et al, 2011;Munk-Jørgensen and Mortensen, 1997). …”

“…The study revealed a trend towards an increase of rates of diagnoses of AN in the context of psychiatric admissions. Møller-Madsen et al (1992) examined eating disorders in Denmark between 1970 and 1989, analyzing time trends for first lifetime admissions, using the main diagnoses of eating disorders . The incidence of AN and other eating disorders was 0.42 in 1970, 1.36 in 1988 and 1.17 in 1989 per 100,000.…”

Anorexia Nervosa

“…There is some controversy regarding the incidence of AN, with some studies suggesting an increased incidence of AN in recent years (Eagles, Johnston, Hunter, Lobban, & Millar, 1995;Jones, Fox, Babigan, & Hutton, 1980;Lucas, Beard, O'Fallon, & Kurland, 1988;Milos et al, 2004;Møller-Madsen & Nystrup, 1992;Szmukler, 1985;Willi & Grossman, 1983) and others reporting stable rates (Hall & Hay, 1991;Hoek, 1991;Jorgensen, 1992;Nielsen, 1990). The most common age of onset is between 15 and 19 years (Lucas, Beard, O'Fallon, & Kurland, 1991), although anecdotal reports suggest an increase in the prepubertal period (S. Gowers, Crisp, Joughin, & Bhat, 1991) and in older adults (Beck, Casper, & Andersen, 1996;Inagaki et al, 2002).…”

Anorexia nervosa: Definition, epidemiology, and cycle of risk

“…4 The prevalence of subthreshold AN, defined as one criterion short of threshold, is greater-ranging from 0.37% to 1.3%. 5,6 Although awareness of the disorder has increased, the data on changing incidence are conflicting, with some studies suggesting that the incidence is increasing [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and others reporting stable rates. [14][15][16][17][18] Epidemiological studies reveal that the peak age of onset is between 15 and 19 years old; 19 however, there are anecdotal reports of increasing presentations in prepubertal children, 20 as well as new-onset cases in mid-and late-life.…”