Risk of Heart Disease Quadruples in Women Hospitalized for Bulimia

The risk of cardiovascular disease skyrockets for women who have been hospitalized for bulimia nervosa, astudy inJAMA Psychiatry reports. The risk is greatest in the first two years after hospitalization and remains high for another three years before disappearing at the 10-year mark.“Our findings suggest that women with a history of bulimia nervosa should be informed of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death in the first decade after the index admission for bulimia,” wrote Rasmi M. Tith, R.D., M.P.H., of the University of Waterloo in Ontario and colleagues. “ These women may benefit from screening for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors.”The study followed more than 416,000 women for up to 12 years from 2006 to 2018. Of the patients, 818 were hospitalized for bulimia, and the rest were hospitalized for pregnancy-related events such as delivery of a live or stillborn infant, abortion, or pregnancy outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy). The average age of the women at hospitalization was 28 years.“The comparison group was representative of most women in the province … because 99% of deliveries and a significant proportion of other pregnancy events occur in hospitals,” the researchers wrote.Compared with women who had been hospitalized for pregnancy-related events, women who had been hospitalized for bulimia had nearly 22 times the risk of heart attack within two years of hospitalization and more than 14 times the risk at five y...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: bulimia nervosa cardiovascular disease heart attack heart disease M.P.H. R.D. Rasmi M. Tith Source Type: research