Eating disorder symptoms highly prevalent among people with insulin-dependent diabetes: Study

Eating disorder symptoms were more common in women than in men, which is an observation that has previously been made in young people as well. Age, however, was not a significant factor, as eating disorders occurred regardless of age group.

“Eating disorder symptoms are often thought to affect adolescents and young adults. However, our meta-analysis shows that adults, too, suffer from eating disorder symptoms, which is why it is important to learn to identify patients with eating disorders. Here in Finland, for example, we currently don’t have a care pathway for patients who have both diabetes and eating disorders. Understanding the clinical picture and its prevalence is the first step in developing treatment and care pathways,” Niemelä says.

Diabetics with eating disorder symptoms have a higher risk of comorbidities and complications associated with diabetes. Eating disorder symptoms are screened using various surveys, including the most commonly used DEPS-R, which in the current meta-analysis was positive in 27 per cent of the subjects.

Reference:

Pia E. Niemelä, Hanna A. Leppänen, Ari Voutilainen, Essi M. Möykkynen, Kirsi A. Virtanen, Anu A. Ruusunen, Reeta M. Rintamäki, Prevalence of eating disorder symptoms in people with insulin-dependent-diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Eating Behaviors, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101863