ED Visits Up for Eating Disorders Across All Ages During Pandemic
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2023 -- During the pandemic, there was an increase in emergency department visits for eating disorders among adolescents, young adults, and older adults, while hospital admissions only increased for adolescents, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Alene Toulany, M.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using linked health administrative data for Ontario residents aged 10 to 105 years during the prepandemic (Jan. 1, 2017, to Feb. 29, 2020) and pandemic (March 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2022) periods to assess the rates of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for eating disorders.
The researchers found that emergency department visits for eating disorders increased during the pandemic among adolescents aged 10 to 17 years, young adults aged 18 to 26 years, and older adults aged 41 to 105 years compared with expected rates derived from the prepandemic period (incidence rate ratios, 2.21, 1.13, and 1.15, respectively). During the pandemic, hospital admissions for eating disorders increased for adolescents (incidence rate ratio, 1.54) but decreased for all adults, especially those aged 41 to 105 years (incidence rate ratio, 0.72).
"Our findings reveal significant variations in the utilization of acute care services for eating disorders across different age groups," Toulany said in a statement. "This highlights the need for a nuanced approach to allocating mental health resources and expanding system capacity and resources dedicated to both adolescent and adult eating disorder programs."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Anorexia Associated With Being an Early Riser
TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 2024 -- Anorexia nervosa is associated with a genetic predisposition to being an early riser, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in JAMA Network...
Lower Number of Positive Childhood Experiences Tied to Eating Behaviors in College Students
TUESDAY, Nov. 28, 2023 -- A lower number of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) is associated with a higher prevalence of binge-eating disorder characteristics and lower scores...
Eating Disorders Linked to Negative Physical Health
THURSDAY, Nov. 9, 2023 -- Eating disorders are associated with a significant increase in the risk for physical multimorbidity, according to a study recently published online...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.