Eating Disorders and Adolescent Health

Youl-Ri Kim

doi:10.5223/pghn.2012.15.Suppl1.S1

Journal List > Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr > v.15(Suppl 1) > 1080752

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Kim: Eating Disorders and Adolescent Health

Review Article

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition 2012; 15(Suppl 1): S1-S6.

Published online: 30 November 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2012.15.Suppl1.S1

Eating Disorders and Adolescent Health

Youl-Ri Kim^*,^†

^*Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University, Seoul, Korea.

^†Institute for Gender Research, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Youl-Ri Kim, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University, 85, 2-ga, Jeo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-032, Korea. Tel: +82-2-2270-0063, Fax: +82-2-2270-0344, youlri.kim@paik.ac.kr

Received 1 November 2012 Revised 3 November 2012 Accepted 24 November 2012

(open-access):

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Eating disorders impact on both physical and mental health with a profound disruption in the quality of life of adolescent. The prevalence of these disorders has been increasing in East Asia and over 10% of young people have some eating disorder related traits. Cultural changes such as the internalisation of the thin ideal predispose to eating disorders. The core features of eating disorders are the pursuit of weight loss and the resultant low body weight or compensatory behavior. The nutritional compromise of eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, results in disruption in menstrual cycle, increased medical risks, and an eventual increase in mortality. The mortality rate of anorexia nervosa is 12 times the rate of healthy age-matched women. The underlying medical causes of the increased mortality rate were cardiovascular, endocrine, hematopoietic, autoimmune, respiratory, and urogenital in nature. High frequencies of medical complications in eating disorders emphasizes the importance of recognizing eating disorders as a medical risk in adolescent in Korea. Successful approaches to prevention against eating disorders have already been developed for adolescent in Europe. Public health interventions targeted at schools responsible for the care of adolescent (parents, teachers, college tutors) would be useful in Korea.

Keywords: Eating disorders, Adolescent, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Treatment

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Diagnostic Criteria for Eating Disorders

Adapted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. [9], ^†A binge is characterized by the consumption of an unusually large quantity of food during a discrete period of time, with lack of control over eating.

Table 2

Markers of Nutritional and Cardiovascular Decompensation that Signal the Need for Increased or Urgent Care in People with Eating Disorders [20]

FBC: full blood count, LFT: liver function test. ^*The instructions for the squat testare that the patients squats on her/his haunches and has to stand up without, if possible, using his/her hands.

Table 3

Similarities between Risk Factors for Eating Disorders and Obesity [23]

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