Changes in the presenting features of females with anorexia nervosa in northeast Scotland, 1965-1991

Objective: Rates of anorexia nervosa among females presenting to specialist services in northeast Scotland had increased significantly between 1965 an d 1991. We sought to elucidate possible causes of this change. Method: Hosp ital and primary care records were searched. Age, weight, and body mass ind ex (BMI) were determined for 196 patients and duration of symptoms from ons et to presentation was established in 190 cases. Changes in these parameter s were investigated over the 27-year period of the study. Results: There wa s no significant change in duration of illness or in age at presentation. B MIs increased significantly, but this arose because patients decreased in h eight, not because they increased in weight. There was no increase in serio usly underweight patients with BMIs of less than or equal to 15. Discussion : Anorexic females were not referred at an earlier stage of their illness, but primary care teams may be identifying and referring milder cases. Alter natively, the findings may reflect an increasing incidence of eating disord ers coupled with changes in their presenting symptomatology. (C) 1999 by Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Inc.