Changes in health related quality of life among patients treated for eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively investigate changes in the perception of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among eating disorder patients after 2 years of treatment and follow-up and clinical predictors of change.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-one consecutive subjects were recruited from an eating disorder outpatient clinic. Subjects completed a generic HRQoL questionnaire, the Short Form-36 (SF-36), as well as the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) to measure symptom severity and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), at the first visit and after 24 months.


RESULTS
Perception of HRQoL, measured by the SF-36, showed significant improvement in all but the role emotional domain after 2 years. The greatest improvements were observed in the physical function and social function domains, followed by mental health and vitality. Despite significant improvement in the summary mental health scale, scores after 2 years of treatment and follow-up were still below normative population values of women aged 18-34. Severity of eating disorder symptoms and presence of anxiety or depression at baseline significantly affected improvement in various SF-36 domains.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite improvements in perception of HRQoL, eating disorder patients were more dysfunctional in all domains of the SF-36 even after 2 years of treatment and follow-up compared with women in the general population, and the severity of eating disorder symptoms was correlated with degree of dysfunction.
Psychiatric Service, Galdakao Hospital, Bizkaia, Spain. japadier@hgda.osakidetza.net
A
A
Padierna
J M
JM
Quintana
I
I
Arostegui
N
N
Gonzalez
M J
MJ
Horcajo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D013997:Time Factors