ANNUAL TREATMENT RATES AND ESTIMATED PREV ALENCE OF EATING DISORDERS IN AUSTRIA

Background: At present, the prevalence and incidence of eating disorde rs in Austria is unknown; not even rough estimates of countrywide annu al treatment rates are available. Aims: To assess the number of patien ts in Austria with eating disorders currently under treatment and to c ompare this rate with the estimated prevalence and incidence of eating disorders, thus providing an estimate of unrecorded cases and the app ropriateness of health care for these disorders. Methods: The number o f patients being treated in major out-patient and in-patient facilitie s was assessed by questionnaires. Prevalence and incidence rates in Au stria were estimated by extrapolation of epidemiological data from com par able Western countries to Austrian figures from the most recent po pulation census in 1991. Results: Altogether 1075 patients were being treated in 1994 at 26 institutions, including all specialized centres, pediatric and psy chiatric university hospitals. Surprisingly, the an nual treatment rates for anorexia and bulimia nervosa were equal. Ther e is a considerable discrepancy between these treatment figures and pr evalence/incidence estimates (in absolute numbers) the estimated anore xia nervosa point prevalence is about 2500 girls aged 15-20 years, whi lst a minimum of 4400 girls suffer from subclinical eating disorders, and there are about 6500 bulimia nervosa cases in young women aged 20- 30 years. The incidence might be about 600 new onset cases per year fo r anorexia, and about 870 for bulimia nervosa. The size of the problem (lifetime prevalence) may comprise at least 36,000 women with bulimia nervosa. Conclusions: Eating disorders pose a major public health pro blem for women in Austria. It is unlikely that the vast majority of un recorded cases was treated in private practice or in hospitals which f ailed to respond to our questionnaire. The discrepancy between annual treatment rates and prevalence/incidence estimates points to a lack of specialized eating disorder units in Austria.