Full recovery from anorexia nervosa is slow, and women with the disease have close to a nine-fold increased risk of death, according to a new 12-year study of severely ill anorexia patients, according to Reuters. "The long-term course of anorexia nervosa is not very favorable," Dr. Manfred M. Fichter of the Klinik Roseneck Hospital for Behavioral Medicine in Prien, Germany and colleagues report in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. "Much remains to be done to improve existing treatments and to make them more accessible to those reluctant to seek help." Fichter and his team followed 103 women who had been hospitalized for anorexia nervosa at an average age of about 25. The researchers point out that anorexia nervosa patients who are treated during adolescence fare much better than those who undergo treatment as adults, like the women in the current study. Patients in this study had unusually severe disease and some resistance to treatment, and most had attempted treatment previously. --More 20 38 Local Time 17 38 GMT
