The changing profile of eating disorders at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong (1987-2007).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the clinical profile of Chinese eating disorder patients at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong from 1987 to 2007.


METHODS
Data on 195 consecutive patients were retrieved from a standardized intake interview by an eating disorder specialist. Patients seen between 1987-1997 (n = 67) and 1998-2007 (n = 128) and fat-phobic (n = 76) and nonfat-phobic (n = 39) anorexic patients were compared.


RESULTS
Patients were predominantly single (91.8%), female (99.0%), in their early-20s and suffered from anorexia (n = 115; 59.0%) or bulimia (n = 78; 40.0%) nervosa. The number of patients increased twofold across the two periods. Bulimia nervosa became more common while anorexia nervosa exhibited an increasingly fat-phobic pattern. Nonfat-phobic anorexic patients exhibited significantly lower premorbid body weight, less body dissatisfaction, less weight control behavior, and lower EAT-26 scores than fat-phobic anorexic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical profile of eating disorders in Hong Kong has increasingly conformed to that of Western countries.
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. singlee@cuhk.edu.hk
Sing
S
Lee
King Lam
KL
Ng
Kathleen
K
Kwok
Corina
C
Fung
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D055815:Young Adult