Eating Problems Common in Youth, Young Adults With Intracranial Hypertension

Young people with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (a condition that occurs when pressure inside the skull increases for no obvious reason) were more than four times more likely to report disordered eating behaviors and more than five times as likely to report depression, anxiety, and stress than those without the condition, according to astudy inPediatric Neurology.“[Medical] caregivers should have increased awareness and implement active screening of [disordered eating behaviors] both at the time of the initial management and as part of the ongoing follow-up. This is of paramount importance to potentially prevent the consequential evolution into full-blown [eating disorders],” wrote Itay Tokatly Latzer, M.D., of the Pediatric Neurology Institute at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and colleagues.Disordered eating behaviors encompass a broad spectrum of eating pathologies —including strict or disinhibited eating, emotional eating, and weight or shape concerns—that do not meet the criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis, the researchers wrote. About 40% of individuals with disordered eating behaviors go on to develop an eating disorder.The study included 53 patients aged 8 to 25 years who had been diagnosed with intracranial hypertension and received treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv, Israel. They were compared with 106 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (control group). Latzer and colleagues reviewed the participa...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: and Stress Scale-21 anxiety depression disordered eating behaviors Eating Attitude Test eating problems intracranial hypertension Pediatric Neurology Source Type: research