The Heterogeneity of Anorexia Nervosa

TLDR

Bulimia is considered a poor prognostic sign in anorexia nervosa. The study aimed to determine whether bulimia represents an end stage of chronic anorexia nervosa or a distinct subgroup. All patients seen between 1970 and 1978 who met modified Feighner criteria were included, yielding 68 bulimic and 73 restrictive cases defined by vomiting and laxative misuse. Bulimic patients were more likely to have been overweight or obese before illness, displayed impulsive behaviors such as substance use, theft, suicide attempts, and self‑harm, and had obese mothers, suggesting they constitute a distinct subgroup of anorexia nervosa.

Abstract

Bulimia is a poor prognostic sign in anorexia nervosa. This raised the question of whether bulimia represented an "end stage" of chronic anorexia nervosa or whether bulimic patients were a distinct subgroup. All subjects seen by us personally from 1970 to 1978 were included in this study provided they met modified criteria of Feighner et al (1972). Of this group, 68 experienced bulimia and 73 did not (restricters). Bulimic patients had a history of weighing more and were more commonly premorbidly obese. Bulimic patients were those who vomited and misused laxatives. The bulimic group displayed a variety of impulsive behaviors, including use of alcohol and street drugs, stealing, suicide attempts, and self-mutilation. With regard to family history, the high frequency of obesity in the mothers of bulimic patients was noteworthy. The two groups share features common to patients with primary anorexia nervosa. However, these results suggest a different group of women are predisposed to have anorexia nervosa develop with bulimia.