STUDY ON EATING DISORDERS AMONG ADOLESCEN TS WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES

The existence of a relationship between Insulin-Dependent Diabetes and eating disorders has recently been observed, but its prevalence and i mpact on somatic functioning remain poorly understood. These dimension s were evaluated in a population of 52 insulin-dependent diabetic adol escent girls and compared with evaluations of matched subjects from th e general population. Results showed that the occurence of anorexia ne rvosa is rare, the occurence of unspecified eating disorders is freque nt (35%) and the occurence of bulimia nervosa is nearly six percent. P oor metabolic control as reflected in blood levels of glycosylated hem oglobin (HBA1C) was found in bulimic subjects and a tendency to be ove rweight was found in subjects with an unspecified eating disorder. Sin ce such disorders frequently involve dietary restrictions, the role of a restrictive pattern in the occurence of eating disorders is raised.