Sex‐ and age‐specific incidence of healthcare‐register‐recorded eating disorders in the complete swedish 1979–2001 birth cohort

Abstract

Our finding of an increase in healthcare-register-recorded eating disorders for diagnostic periods after 2000 likely reflects improved detection and expanded register coverage in Sweden. The peak of eating disorder incidence in adolescence, which began unexpectedly early for AN in males, suggests the importance of vigilance for signs of AN in young boys and early primary prevention efforts. Waiting until later could miss critical windows for intervention that could prevent disorders from taking root.