Publication date: Feb 03, 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant rise in the incidence of anorexia nervosa (AN) and atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN), longer wait times and reduced opportunities for in-person medical services. How these changes affected clinical outcomes among adolescents newly diagnosed with AN/AAN remains largely unknown. We performed a retrospective analysis of standardized intake and follow-up data from a pediatric eating disorder program to compare clinical outcomes among adolescents newly diagnosed with AN/AAN during pre-pandemic (July/2017-December/2018) and pandemic (July/2020-December/2021) periods. Clinical data were collected at the time of diagnosis and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals. The primary outcomes were unscheduled AN/AAN-related emergency department visits and need for medical hospitalization. Overall, 253 patients were included (pre-pandemic = 77; pandemic = 176). By 12-months following diagnosis, 18. 8% (95% CI 13. 3%-25. 3%) of patients diagnosed during the pandemic had unscheduled AN/AAN-related emergency department visits, compared to 7. 8% (95% CI 2. 9%-16. 2%, p = 0. 03) of those diagnosed pre-pandemic. Medical hospitalization was required more frequently in the pandemic group (35. 8%; 95% CI 28. 7%-43. 4%) compared to pre-pandemic (15. 6%; 95% CI 8. 3%-25. 6%, p = 0. 001). Mean weight gain at 12-months did not differ between groups (8. 1 kg pre-pandemic vs. 8. 8 kg pandemic; p = 0. 35) however the mean time to target weight was longer in the pandemic group (2. 7 vs. 4. 4 months; p = 0. 002). Patients newly diagnosed with AN/AAN during the pandemic had significantly more AN/AAN-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations and took longer to achieve target weight than those diagnosed pre-pandemic. These findings suggest a more complicated treatment course among adolescents diagnosed with AN/AAN during the pandemic.

Semantics

Original Article