Season of birth in females with anorexia nervosa in Northeast Scotland.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether patients with anorexia nervosa exhibit an abnormal pattern in their season of birth.


METHODS
Case records of female patients presenting to secondary services in Northeast Scotland from 1965 to 1997 who received a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa were examined. The months of birth of the 446 anorexic patients with a confirmed diagnosis were compared with 5,766 female control subjects born locally in 1951, 1961, 1971, and 1981.


RESULTS
Patients with anorexia nervosa had an excess of births in the first 6 months of the year (p =.013). The greatest excess was from March to June.


CONCLUSIONS
This provides further evidence that birth dates of anorexics peak in the late spring and early summer. There are parallels with the epidemiology of schizophrenia. The evidence suggests that a seasonally fluctuating factor, most plausibly an intrauterine effect of common infectious agents during the winter months, is of etiological significance.
Eagles
J M
JM
Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
Andrew
J E
JE
Johnston
M I
MI
Easton
E A
EA
Millar
H R
HR
D000328:Adult; D000855:Anorexia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001719:Birth Certificates; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons