Spike in hospitalization cases of eating disorders in children noted

Spike in hospitalization cases of eating disorders in children noted

Eating disorders in children are causing an increasing number of them to be hospitalized, a new survey revealed. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics published online this Monday shows that hospitalization cases of 12-and-under kids with eating disorders jumped 119 percent from 1999 to 2006. This supports an earlier report issued in 2009 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that hospital stays climbed 15 percent during the same period, and that children registered the highest admission rate among all patient groups.

Because of the upward trend of eating disorders in children over the past several years, the AAP urged paediatricians to perform thorough screening for eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia during kids’ visits to their clinics. The AAP also advised paediatricians to seek referral for their patients to receive specialized treatment. The recommendations are published in the online issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers said that there is a misconception that only rich, white girls have eating disorders. They said that there are more and more boys and minorities who are being diagnosed with eating disorders. Another disturbing trend is that sufferers of these conditions seem to be getting younger. The total prevalence of eating disorders is between 0.8 percent and 14 percent depending on criteria used. Athletes, particularly gymnasts and runners, seem to be most susceptible to developing eating disorders.

Interestingly, the pressure to get thinner to curb obesity in America may be a contributing factor in the rise of eating disorders in children, the authors said.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday November 29 2010, 7:32 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0