THE INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF ANOREXIA-NERVOSA IN 3 SUBURBAN HEALTHDISTRICTS IN SOUTH-WEST LONDON, UK

Objective: To determine incidence and prevalence of anorexia nervosa i n a defined geographical area of south west London, UK, total populati on 519,900. Method: Hospital and community health workers in the defin ed area were contacted initially by letter asking them to identify all cases (new or existing) of anorexia nervosa known to them in the peri od July 1991-June 1992, using DSM-III-R criteria. A semistructured int erview was conducted with the respondents to confirm the diagnosis. Th e large database record of the senior authors' specialist anorexia ner vosa service, including inpatient and outpatient service records, was concurrently screened for cases living in the defined area. Results: T he prevalence of anorexia nervosa was found by this method to be 20.2 cases per 100,000 population (0.02% total population). Prevalence in f emales aged 15-29 years was 115.4 cases per 100,000 (0.1% of young fem ales). Similarly, the annual incidence of anorexia nervosa was found t o be 2.7 cases per 100,000 total population. In females aged 15-29 yea rs the incidence was 19.2 cases per 100,000. Discussion: Such prevalen ce and incidence figures are probably significant underestimates since the disorder can often defy detection or correct diagnosis and, with our own methodology, some identified cases may not have been reported to the study. However, these results can be used as a start for resour ce planning and service development. (C) 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, In c.