Who are the children and adolescent patients of a national referral service of eating disorders in Brazil?: a cross-sectional study of a clinical sample.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients receiving treatment at a specialized service for children and adolescents with eating disorders (ED) in São Paulo, Brazil, and to compare data with the relevant literature. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed male and female patients with ED up to 18 years of age. All data were collected upon admission. RESULTS: A total of 100 subjects were assessed. Mean age was 15.41±0.18 years, and mean age at ED onset was 13.5±0.19 years. Mean disease duration was 21.06 ±1.67 months. Of the total sample, 82% of the patients were female, 84% were Caucasian, 64% came from A and B economic tiers. Moreover, in 60% ED started at 14 years of age or less, and 74% had psychiatric comorbidities. Anorexia nervosa was the most prevalent diagnosis (43%). Hospitalized patients had lower body mass index, longer ED duration, and more severe scores on the Children's Global Assessment Scale than outpatients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our young Brazilian patients with ED present epidemiological and symptomatic characteristics very similar to those found in the scientific literature, including a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. The higher frequency of full syndrome ED, the predominance of cases with an early onset, the delay in beginning specialized treatment, and the more severe state of inpatients provide grounds for concern because these factors differ from what has been reported in reference studies and indicate greater ED severity.

Who are the children and adolescent patients of a national referral service of eating disorders in Brazil?: a cross-sectional study of a clinical sample / Quem são os jovens pacientes de um serviço de referência nacional em transtornos alimentares no Brasil?: estudo transversal de uma amostra clínica

Objectives: To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients receiving treatment at a specialized service for children and adolescents with eating disorders (ED) in São Paulo, Brazil, and to compare data with the relevant literature. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed male and female patients with ED up to 18 years of age. All data were collected upon admission. Results: A total of 100 subjects were assessed. Mean age was 15.41±0.18 years, and mean age at ED onset was 13.5±0.19 years. Mean disease duration was 21.06 ±1.67 months. Of the total sample, 82% of the patients were female, 84% were Caucasian, 64% came from A and B economic tiers. Moreover, in 60% ED started at 14 years of age or less, and 74% had psychiatric comorbidities. Anorexia nervosa was the most prevalent diagnosis (43%). Hospitalized patients had lower body mass index, longer ED duration, and more severe scores on the Children's Global Assessment Scale than outpatients (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our young Brazilian patients with ED present epidemiological and symptomatic characteristics very similar to those found in the scientific literature, including a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. The higher frequency of full syndrome ED, the predominance of cases with an early onset, the delay in beginning specialized treatment, and the more severe state of inpatients provide grounds for concern because these factors differ from what has been reported in reference studies and indicate greater ED severity.

Objetivos: Investigar o perfil sociodemográfico e clínico de pacientes de um serviço especializado no tratamento de crianças e adolescentes com transtornos alimentares (TA) em São Paulo, Brasil, e comparar os dados com a literatura científica relevante. Métodos: Este estudo transversal avaliou pacientes com diagnóstico de TA de ambos os sexos, com idade até 18 anos. Os dados foram coletados na admissão dos pacientes ao serviço. Resultados: A amostra foi composta por 100 sujeitos. A idade média foi de 15,41±0,18 anos, e a média de idade ao início dos TA foi de 13,5±0,19 anos. O tempo médio de duração da doença foi de 21,06±1,67 meses. Da amostra total, 82% dos pacientes eram meninas, 84% eram brancos, 64% provinham das classes econômicas A e B. Além disso, 60% iniciaram a patologia com 14 anos ou menos e 74% tinham comorbidades psiquiátricas. A forma total da anorexia nervosa foi o diagnóstico mais prevalente (43%). Os pacientes hospitalizados tiveram menor índice de massa corporal, mais tempo de TA e escores mais graves na Escala de Avaliação Global de Crianças quando comparados com pacientes do ambulatório (p < 0,05). Conclusões: Os pacientes brasileiros jovens com TA avaliados no presente estudo apresentaram características epidemiológicas e sintomatológicas muito semelhantes aos dados da literatura científica, inclusive com relação à alta prevalência de comorbidades psiquiátricas. A maior frequência das síndromes totais dos TA, o predomínio de quadros de início precoce, o longo tempo decorrido até iniciar tratamento especializado e a maior gravidade dos pacientes hospitalizados observados nesta amostra chamam atenção por diferirem do que tem sido relatado em estudos semelhantes e também por indicarem uma maior gravidade do TA.