Skip to main content

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalizations and disease characteristics of adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

Author
Abstract
:

Social distancing and quarantines have major negative psychological implications. Our aim was to study the rate of pediatric hospitalizations due to anorexia nervosa (AN) during the first year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as compared to previous years, with regard to clinical and laboratory parameters. This is a retrospective study in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Israel. Data regarding inpatient hospitalizations due to AN were retrieved, then epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory parameters compared. During the entire study period, 275 hospitalizations were due to AN: 94 patients were admitted during the 12 months of the pandemic as compared to a yearly mean of 45.25 during 2015-2019, resulting in a 2.4-fold increase (p < 0.001). The mean admission age and female predominance were similar in the two study groups. The weight of the patients at admission was higher during the COVID-19 period (44.5 kg vs. 41.2 kg, p = 0.004), and fewer patients had clinical signs typical of AN upon physical examination (p = 0.022). There was a 35% reduction in median hospitalization duration (9 days [IQR 8.21] in 2020-2021 and 14 [IQR 6, 16.75] days in 2015-2019, p = 0.01). No other differences were found.

Year of Publication
:
2022
Journal
:
European journal of pediatrics
Volume
:
181
Issue
:
4
Number of Pages
:
1767-1771
ISSN Number
:
0340-6199
URL
:
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04350-2
DOI
:
10.1007/s00431-021-04350-2
Short Title
:
Eur J Pediatr
Download citation