EATING DISORDERS IN CHILDREN

Introduction: Upsurges in the incidence and prevalence of eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and other eating disorders in kids and adolescents make it highly important that pediatricians be familiar with early screening and proper treatment of these clinical conditions. Results of epidemiologic studies have shown that the numbers of kids and adolescents with eating disorders have increased constantly since the 1950s. Only in the last decade, the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents has increased significantly, accompanied by further emphasis on dieting and weight loss among children and adolescents. The epidemiology of eating disorders has slowly modified; there is an increasing prevalence of eating disorders in men and in minor populations in the US and worldwide. Of specific importance is the growing prevalence of eating disorders at progressively younger ages. A new analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality revealed that from 1999 to 2006, hospitalizations for eating disorders increased most rapidly for children younger than twelve years. It is projected that about less than one percent of adolescent girls in the US have AN, that approximately one to two percent meet diagnostic criteria for BN, and that up to five percent to ten percent of all cases of eating disorders occur in males. Aim of work: In this review, we will discuss eating disorders in children. Methodology: We did a systematic search for eating disorders in children using PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Google Scholar search engine (https://scholar.google.com). All relevant studies were retrieved and discussed. We only included full articles. Conclusions: There has been an increase in the incidence and prevalence of eating disorders in children and adolescents in recent decades, making it critical for pediatricians to take into consideration these clinical conditions in appropriate clinical settings, to assess patients suspected of having these disorders, and to manage patients in whom eating disorders are diagnosed. We included a discussion of diagnostic criteria and outlines the initial evaluation of the patient with disordered eating. Complications of eating disorders are variable and could affect any organ system, therefore careful monitoring for these complications is needed and recommended. The range of management options, including medications. Pediatricians are advised to advocate for legislation and policies that make sure proper services for patients with eating disorders, including medical care, nutritional intervention, mental health treatment, and care coordination