Posted by 
Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder affect an estimated 1.6 million people in the UK, though the true figure may be higher as many people do not seek help. They predominantly affect women but also men; most people are diagnosed during adolescence and early adulthood.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality of all mental illnesses, both from physical causes and from suicide. Yet despite the scale of the problem, resources to treat eating disorders are scarce. There are very few specialised treatment centres. People affected are often young and vulnerable, and may avoid detection.
However, the earlier a disorder can be diagnosed, the better the likely outcome for the patient.This is where the new research can make a big difference. It can help GPs to understand what could be early warning signs of a possible eating disorder. The research team, from Swansea University Medical School, examined anonymised electronic health records from GPs and hospital admissions in Wales. 15,558 people in Wales were diagnosed as having eating disorders between 1990 and 2017.
The result showed that people diagnosed with a disorder had higher rates of other conditions and of prescriptions in the years before their diagnosis. The findings may give GPs a better chance of detecting eating disorders earlier. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder affect an estimated 1.6 million people in the UK, though the true figure may be higher as many people do not seek help.
They predominantly affect women but also men; most people are diagnosed during adolescence and early adulthood. Eating disorders have the highest mortality of all mental illnesses, both from physical causes and from suicide. Yet despite the scale of the problem, resources to treat eating disorders are scarce. There are very few specialised treatment centres. People affected are often young and vulnerable, and may avoid detection.